The candidate of the Labour Party in the February 25, 2023 presidential election, Peter Obi, 63, is a man often in the eye of the storm of debates and controversies fueled by his style of politics and even his association with perceived political opponents.
Obi took the world by storm last year after he shook Nigeria’s political landscape by matching the “firepower” of his more established presidential rivals in one of the fiercest elections in the history of Nigeria.
And as the next presidential election season in 2027 draws nearer, all eyes will be on Obi as he spoils for another electioneering campaign fight to wrest power from the ruling All Progressives Congress.
Whether those who loathe him can live with it or not, Obi – a former Anambra State governor – is viewed by Nigerians as a political heavyweight who believes he is the messiah that would not only bring about the much-needed change Nigerians have been yearning for but also transform the moral fabric of the country’s tarnished reputation.
Not every Nigerian that supports Obi, however, is happy with his style of opposition politics. A great number of Nigerians are also not pleased with him for being too “soft” and lacking assertiveness, especially when it comes to dealing with internal squabbles in his party.
Those who have taken pleasure in criticising Obi say that these “inadequacies” in dealing with issues will be his downfall in 2027.
Obi’s party, the LP – which claims that the courts have resolved most of the leadership crisis that were tearing the party apart – has not fully mended relationships with him and antagonists have asserted that he allowed the bad blood in his party to go unchecked.
Obi has been experiencing, in no small measure, the consequences of his purported laid-back attitude to the infighting in the LP.
A sizable number of those who were a part of his support base have left him because of this and other reasons, and even though his supporters argue that the LP presidential candidate also has loyalists who ditched him, analyst hold the view that Obi, a would-be opposition candidate in 2027, should not be losing cheerleaders.
The first big calamitous situation Obi grappled with in his support base was the exodus of Kenneth Okonkwo from the LP.
Okonkwo, the now former spokesperson for the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Organisation, hammered Obi for his uninspiring handling of the party’s affairs.
Okonkwo said Obi just needed to give the right directives and everyone would fall in line in the party. He also said that Obi’s declaration that he did not promise Nigerians that he would build a strong LP, but to solve Nigeria’s problems, shocked him.
The befuddled Okonkwo, who revealed that he had continued in Obi’s defence, believing that he would still privately bring the needed solution to LP problems, also said he was at a loss that Obi was not aware that without a solid base, the party would be heading to nowhere, politically.
And before he parted ways with the LP, Okonkwo added, “Every member of the Labour Party is confused today as to the future of the Labour Party because of lack of leadership from PO over the party, and unfortunately, when they look up to me to tell them about PO’s standpoint, I sincerely have nothing to tell them because I don’t know myself.”
The dust did not fully settle with Okonkwo’s departure before another stalwart of the LP, Doyin Okupe, bid farewell to ever supporting Obi again.
Okupe served as the LP Vice presidential placeholder before Obi and his party drafted Yusuf Baba-Ahmed to the hot seat. Okupe was thereafter made the director of Obi’s presidential campaign but after he was convicted for money laundering, he left the job by resigning from the LP.
Okupe said his grouse with his former ally started after Obi “mocked” the South West when he (Obi) said “it is our turn” and “emilokan” have not stopped Nigeria’s biting economic hardship from affecting the region.
Okupe said he and other prominent Yoruba men, such as former President Olusegun Obasanjo, took the unpopular route when they chose to swim or sink with Obi during the last election but they were repaid with an insult on their region.
Okupe has since gone on to become a diehard supporter of President Tinubu and there are concerns that his departure could deny Obi’s 2027 campaign some much-needed lifeblood.
There are also some Obi supporters who have either abandoned him or threatened to do so because of what they describe as his lack of visible political aggression and “pugilistic” mindset.
One such Obidient is veteran journalist, Donu Kogbara, who went on national television to say she was no longer a member of the Obidient.
When the “memo” about her got to Obi’s table, the former presidential candidate quickly “contacted” her and set up a “face-to-face” meeting Kogbara herself would later say blew her away.
It was only after she had a “thought-provoking and illuminating” conversation that she decided to become a born again Obidient.
Unlike Kogbara who has had a new birth, there are Obidients who have vowed that Obi would be history if he decides to be the running mate of any presidential candidate.
“There is no shame in the way we play politics here in Nigeria. It is usually our interests first. We serve only our interests. So, I won’t be surprised if some of his supporters that are turning their backs on him are doing so because the man is stingy and doesn’t give shi-shi. Isn’t this Nigeria where anything goes?”
One such Obidient is political activist, Aisha Yesufu, who, though not a regular politician, said she could not wrap her head round the recurring trend of expecting the best candidates to settle for secondary roles.
Her adamant position will be a difficult bridge Obi will have to cross, and doing so will not be made any easier as there could be an alliance between the LP and Atiku’s PDP in the foreseeable future.
A political analyst and member of the Obidient movement, Solomon Otolorin, said that Obi’s demure outlook should not be mistaken for weakness.
He also said that people would see a different version of Obi if he became president.
“Obviously, Obi has this soft and small voice that gives him off as a demure personality. This, in turn, gives Nigerians the impression that he is soft and reserved. People mistake it for weakness, but it is not.
“Well, he could be those things they call him – I won’t go into an argument with anyone over that. But what I do know is that if he becomes president, everyone would see that he has the propensity to become a lion.
“Did you see how he ran Anambra State? There was a time he was demolishing some illegal structures. You needed to see him then. There was fire and determination in his eyes. He didn’t care what his opponents were saying.
“So, those who are calling him soft and also saying that he is not aggressive should continue. If he becomes president in 2027 or 2031, I am sure they will sing a different tune.
“So, let them free the man. They should cut him some slack. In 2027, Obi will still shake the polity and remain relevant,” he said.
Reacting to the fallout of Obi’s style of politics, his so-called soft nature and lack of aggression for fronting his opposition duty, a Kwara State-based businessman and political analyst, Ahmed Sumonu, said, “I don’t support Obi. I don’t usually read his tweets but I respect him.
“And I can assure you that some of those who are leaving him today will still return to his fold before 2027.
“There is no shame in the way we play politics here in Nigeria.
It is usually our interests first. We serve only our interests.
So, I won’t be surprised if some of his supporters that are turning their backs on him are doing so because the man is stingy and doesn’t give shi-shi. Isn’t this Nigeria where anything goes?
“Another thing is that this is the time for Obi to really evaluate and know those who truly love him and want him to succeed. Those in this group will always stand by him.
“And unlike the President of the country, Tinubu, who has been appointing people who insulted him and fought against his election, Obi should be mindful not to select anyone that left him high and dry. Let it be tit-for-tat.”
