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Mr. Peter Obi, a two-term governor of Anambra state, presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general election, and now, a formidable member and presidential hopeful for the African Democratic Congress (ADC) ticket, is everything that President Bola Tinubu is not. Obi and Tinubu offer polar examples of what it means to be a great leader. Their different approach to life and politics creates a comprehensive model in understanding the nature of power, the complexity of ambition, and the role that a greater good can play in the making of a true leader.
Tinubu is an impulsive, a take-no-prisoners kind of politician, daring, non-conformist, and a cynical player adept at amassing power. He believes that whatever rules that apply to others shouldn’t apply to him. That’s why he believes, and strongly urges his fan base that power “is not served ala carte, you have to grab it and run away with it”. On the other hand, Peter Obi is a firm believer that effective leadership is not restricted to one personality type, rather, it can be embodied by bold, outspoken, proactive and deeply, transformative, loving leadership, with the people as a rallying point. He is a man of restraint, but unwavering in his convictions. Unlike Tinubu, Obi doesn’t believe in desperation in the pursuit of power. He sees politics as a human enterprise, not as a political version of a businessman’s interest in balance sheets. I also don’t think that paying unflappable attention to the public-service part of the job of a Commander-in-Chief matters much to Tinubu. Those who have mastered his style of governance insist he didn’t seek to be president to accomplish real goals for Nigeria and Nigerians. They argue that Tinubu’s drive for power is inseparable from what he had always wanted power for, that is, as an extension of his business empire, and to dominate and bend people to his will.
That much has been unraveling since he became president. He’s, perhaps unaware that, without a vision beyond a leader’s own selfish advancement, that leader could be paralysed once that goal had been achieved. The background of these two politicians- Obi and Tinubu, their contrasting styles, have become necessary in order to understand why Obi remains a target of unrelenting attacks by the president’s handlers, surrogates and some paid media consultants. Now, comes the spoiler. Until last week when he emerged from his retirement hibernation, very few people still remember Justice Ayo Isa Salami, a former President of the Court of Appeal.
Perhaps a little background will do. Justice Salami had a tumultuous period in the nation’s judiciary. Born in 1943, he was appointed President of the Court of Appeal in 2009, first as Acting President on December 2, 2009, to succeed Justice Umaru Abdullahi. In August, 2011, he was suspended by the National Judicial Council(NJC). His offence? He was accused of lying on oath against the then Chief Justice of Nigeria(CJN), Justice Aloysius Katsina-Alu. Salami was asked to apologise within 7 days. He refused. His trouble was sequel to his alleged disclosure to the media of an attempt by the ex-CJN to influence the decision of the Appeal Court , in a Sokoto governorship election matter pending before the Appeal Court. He did not provide irrefutable evidence to prove his allegation against Katsina- Alu. Based on the recommendation of Justice Ibrahim Auta-led panel that investigated the petition, Justice Salami was found guilty. He was suspended indefinitely. NJC wrote to the President at the time, Goodluck Jonathan to retire him from the Bench. Though the NJC reversed its decision later, Salami threw in the towel, with his resignation letter, effective, October 2013. But, last week, he flew off the handle. Perhaps not surprising, his target was Peter Obi. He questioned the eligibility of Obi to contest the 2023 presidential election on the platform of the Labour Party(LP).
His controversial comment was made in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital, during an award presentation at Prof Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism. According to him, Obi shouldn’t have been allowed to contest the election under the Labour Party. He laboured to explain that by the time Obi left the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), the Labour Party had already submitted its list of members to the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC). This is where he stumbled. He missed the point. He called it, “judicial incompetence”.
The ‘Obidient Movement’, the organic, grassroots, political, social and youth-led group behind Peter Obi, has since pushed back against Salami’s incongruous logic on Obi’s qualification. Legitimate issues have been raised. First, is the timing of Salami’s ill-digested logic. It sounds very hollow, curious and disturbing,given that the 2023 election and all- related judicial proceedings had long been concluded. The question is: was Salami trying to rewrite history and undermine Obi’s candidacy? As a jurist, wasn’t he aware of the Supreme Court’s judgment on the matter that settled all the disputes relating to Obi’s eligibility and party membership of the LP? It’s a retrospective opinion that holds no legal weight.
Better still, is justice Salami ‘working’ for someone? Every scrap you remove, seems to lead to one curious issue that has refused to go away. The entire idea is to make Tinubu sole presidential candidate in next year’s presidential poll. Recall that when he was on the Bench, Justice Salami was referred to by some as “Tinubu’s Judge”, a partisan jurist. It was due to his alleged past roles in electoral matters involving the political parties where Tinubu was said to have interest. Critics also accused him of political interactions that appear to align with the interest of the present ruling party. Here’s a breakdown of why this allegation makes some sense. His critics often point to the fact that while he was President of Court of Appeal, he fraternised with the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria(ACN), the party led by Asiwaju Tinubu.
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In 2012, the PDP accused him of having a “political relationship with Tinubu”. Also, when he was suspended by the NJC in 2011, Tinubu strongly defended him, and described him as a “courageous judge”. He accused the PDP-led government then of “punishing” Justice Salami for “not doing their bidding”. Whose bidding is Justice Salami doing now? Have you paused to ask, why the president’s surrogates are always attacking Mr.Obi? Could this obsession of the president’s media handlers and some newspaper columnists part of a ‘fear factor’, or a desperate campaign haikus- whereby ‘Pull Peter Obi down’ is drilled into their heads as a primary focus in every speech, and at every event? Why the panic over Obi in spite of APC having almost all the state governors on its side?
I understand that is the “first commandment” given to them. Some say Justice Salami may have been ‘recruited’ as an external legal consultant needle Obi. It may also be part of taking attention away from the government’s poor performance in the face of economic and security challenges in the country, ahead of 2027 election. That’s the reason why Obi has become the talking-point in many political debates. Make no mistake about it: Obi is president Tinubu’s nightmare.
If telling lies, embellishing half-truths and unleashing unwarranted attacks on perceived political perceive are disqualifying offences, all president Tinubu’s media aides would have been out of job long ago. As Mark Twain(real name, Samuel Langhorne Clemens) said, “politics is the only profession where you can lie, cheat, and steal, and still be respected”. Attacking Obi at every available forum is part of the brief given to the president’s men. With less than nine months to the 2027 presidential election, Mr. Obi, more than any other presidential aspirant, is seen, and truly so, as the most formidable force Tinubu has to contend with.
Obi, indeed, proved to be Tinubu’s nightmare in 2023, in particular, at the president’s backyard – Lagos. That’s the reason for the panic in the APC fold. It’s the more reason why all arsenals of warfare are arrayed against Obi. Obi is seen as the remaining roadblock to APC’s one-party state agenda. As the new face of politics in the country, the presidency, and in fact, the ruling APC is leaving no stone unturned to stop Obi’s name from the presidential ballot on January 16, 2027.
Daniel Bwala, the President’s aide on Policy Communication said that much last year on Channels Television programme, “Politics Today”. We hear that massive warchest has been voted for #Pull Obi Down” campaign . The script works like this: If one plot fails, try another. Don’t be surprised to see a disruption of ADC presidential primary in a few months time. The plot may also involve portraying Obi, as the reason why Tinubu’s economic reforms are not working.
It’s their ‘Alternative Reality’, which rely on strong emotions and personal identification, rather than sound, objective reasoning. It’s often resistant to evidence. Expect more of this mud throwing at Obi in the months ahead.
Anything that can stick on Obi is part of the script. That’s part of the script that Justice Salami tried to push through last week. Obi needs to wake up to the new plots and how to contain the arrays of enemies and landmines against him.
