The metamorphosis of Peter Obi

Mr. Peter Obi, the NDC presidential candidate, is a fearsome personality. The fear of him, or rather, the phobia, is understandable. His message pierces through the conscience of political players. His analytical chisel hits hard on the national malady. His poise represents the antithesis of affluence of power in a crawling nation. Hence, his impeccable integrity has assumed a yardstick for the old and new politicians. These are however not without a cost. Today, Obi has arguably become the most attacked personality in Nigeria.  From visible accounts, the attacks largely come from those diminished by Obi’s rare and consistent connection with the people – the power players at the centre, their lap dogs, their media apologists, the unrepentant ethnic jingoists, and very disgustingly, the Governor of his home-state, Anambra, Professor Chukwuma Soludo.

In fact, the way Soludo digs-in to boost the shopping list of coffin makers of Obi’s presidential ambition is not only petty but also beneath professorial honour. And it will definitely take years for Soludo to realize how deep he has unmindfully sucked his (Soludo’s) political capital. The arguments and counter-arguments about Anambra’s indebtedness, 13 years after, is literally meant to smear Obi. The timing of the exposé is like an undertaker’s role by someone whose house is on fire yet he prefers to purse an escaping rat with alacrity. Thus, in alluding Soludo’s crass small-mindedness to a likely malign influence, a netizen, Somadina Anaedo superstitiously quipped, “We know what the problem is. Those native doctors must have done something funny. This is not ordinary.” But for me, it is a pattern likely propelled by megalomania. Or do we say it is another kind of Vidkun Quisling assignment? Soludo played the devil’s advocate in 2022 when he hatefully predicted that Obi would not win even one state in 2023. Was Soludo not roundly proved wrong?

As a second-term governor and someone whose palm kernel was cracked for by a benevolent spirit, one expects Soludo to engage those issues that daily put millions of Nigerians on edge: the rising energy costs (cooking gas, diesel, PMS), food inflation, hike in transport fares, households living in penury, and multiple taxation in some states at a time of belt-tightening economic reforms. We can only excuse Soludo’s loud silence on those issues if he does not want to be seen as the kettle calling pot black. If he can’t speak for the people pauperised by untamed capitalism (the doctrines of his friends – IMF and World Bank), then, he should close his mouth and observe table manners.

Like a manhunt that involves setting up perimeters, use of sniffing dogs, aerial surveillance, and expansion of dragnet for sweeps, Obi is trailed from the left, right and centre. It is as if there is a bounty on his head like an outlaw.  The accidental governor of Edo State, Monday Okpebholo threatened Obi with insecurity if he visits the state without his clearance. His counterpart in Benue State also played the same script recently. Even the Police parade of some boys who allegedly blocked the road against Obi in Benue was a mere window dressing. Nigerians know that nothing will come out of the charade because state terrorism has unfortunately reached a crescendo.

But Obi seems undeterred. His frail-like voice notwithstanding, he remains unmoved like the Rock of Gibraltar. As an operator in the environment populated by wolves, he has learnt to howl. He has learnt in a hard way that Nigerian politics is a war by other means – where the incumbent has left no one in doubt that “All is fair.” Indeed, most of what happens behind the scenes rarely make the headlines for lack of hard evidence yet they are real and constitute part of the political culture. 

Be that as it may, Obi always has a date with history. It was the Supreme Court that twice handed back his gubernatorial victories after INEC and the State Assembly tried to truncate his tenure in Anambra State. That was how off-cycle elections began in the country. However, the rude awakening is that today, those institutional gains have been eroded by illiberal democracy. Therefore, Obi has changed from the toga of civility brand of Western democracy to taking his destiny into his hands. “In 2023, we took things for granted. We believed INEC. We believed what they said they would do. The INEC Chairman convinced the world that he would do the right thing, when in fact he was working for the opposition. This time, we will only trust them by doing the right things ourselves,” Obi declared. He went further: “Unlike in the past, in 2027, our votes MUST count, and all those who are there not to count the votes will be counted among those destroying Nigeria. I encourage everyone to remain at the polling units after voting to count and witness the counting and transmission of results.” “There will be so many IReVs this time. This time around, if there is network glitch, we will give them another one that has no glitch. By allowing them to continue, that glitch will glitch our lives…This time all of us will rescue our country…We must make sure that every polling unit, the votes are counted, the votes are recorded properly. And we will even have a dual transmission so that as it’s going to the proper, designated INEC portal, it’s also being transmitted where people can see it,” Obi said in Arise TV interview.

Surely, these tough words are not empty. They are loaded with strategy, tact, and offensive positioning by an alchemized competitor. With 28 gubernatorial candidates and candidates for all National Assembly seats, Obi’s party has left nothing to chances. More importantly, having Rabiu Kwankwaso on the same ticket fills the gap of what might be lacking in Obi’s urbanity.  Only a transparent presidential election would save the country from a flak of mass anger. By opting to roll up his sleeves in the trenches with his supporters, Obi has declared war on electoral roguery.