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Is it strange to you why the harassment of Mr. Peter Obi is unrelenting? A few days before a Federal High Court in Lokoja, presided over by Justice Isah Dashen on June 26, controversially reversed its earlier order of December 5, 2025, and directed the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) to deregister the Nigeria Democratic Congress(NDC), independent surveys indicated a public discontent with President Bola Tinubu’s administration. A notable poll by SMB Intelligence showed a national disapproval rating of nearly 80%, with the President trailing opponents like Mr. Peter Obi, the NDC candidate in the January 16 presidential race.
Following the surveys, Aso Rock, Nigeria’s apex of power, sources said, was thrown into panic. This was bad news for the president’s re-election bid. The surveys cut across the six geopolitical zones. Obi was specifically identified in the surveys as posing the biggest threat to Tinubu in the presidential election. Not Atiku or any other opponents. Expectedly, the presidency was concerned, that despite everything that had been done to undo Peter Obi, he’s still commanding a favourable public opinion among eligible voters.
Consistently, presidential aides were summoned to lay out alternative options to stop Obi permanently. It was suggested that since the president may not be hearing everything he needed to hear, a full slate of options should be presented before presidential campaigns begin from August 19. For those who are not aware of the inner workings of the coordinated plots against Obi, that’s how the Lokoja High Court ruling came about. It was the sub-plot of the grand conspiracy to get Obi out of the next election. So far, it hasn’t worked. Other stratagems are in the offing.
Make no mistake about it: A cursory look at Tinubu presidency, one analyst claimed, seems very much like a grand ponzi scheme that has finally burst into the open. It stinks with scandalous revelations that are now in public domain. As some foreign commentators like John Gordon and Mike Arnold said recently, if scandal were a disqualifying offence, more than half of the politicians in Nigeria, especially in the ruling All Progressives Congress would be out of work. But they won’t, because Obi remains the ‘biggest job’ on offer. That’s the story. Obi is their preoccupation, indeed, their obsession. It’s no longer hidden. The stratagem runs like this: if one plot fails, try another until he’s frustrated out of the 2027 Presidential race
Truth is, our democracy needs people like Peter Obi on the outside, someone who cares about the unity of the country, a man who plays by the rules, to keep democracy honest. Not someone who says he doesn’t believe in the “unity of Nigeria”(ThisDay, April 13, 1997). But democracy needs people on the inside to make it work – people who are genuine democrats who can play the game of politics for the sake of getting things done. Unfortunately, the people on the inside are scandal-plagued, desperate for power, inordinately fixated by one sole aim – to ensure that only the incumbent President is on the ballot come, January 16, 2027.
That’s why attacking Peter Obi guarantees a ticket to the presidential elite table. That’s why, very often, you see one small-framed man, with low public record, from Ebonyi, throwing tantrums at Obi, asking him for a public debate. He knows full well that’s the easiest way to retain his ministerial portfolio. The problem Obi is currently facing under the Tinubu government is like a David and Goliath match-up, with the presidency as Goliath. It’s not just a matter of the 2027 election. It’s about whether Obi will even be alive to witness the election.
That is what informed the alarm Obi raised last week in the interview he granted Chude Jideonwo, a media personality. The tone, substance of his pain and frustration are so deep and troubling. It’s not for nothing. With his face drawn and solemn, Obi said several aspects of his work, including his businesses have been deliberately made difficult by the present administration. “With the way this government is going, I may not even be alive to contest the 2027 election. Every single thing I do for a living, this government is frustrating it. I face frustration every day”.
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This is a cry from the depth of his soul. The government remains viciously unrelenting. Obi cited a recent incident involving his car at the airport, resulting in the car being locked by airport officials for alleged violation despite being a VIP. The presidency has hit back with a tepid, tenuous response. It created a false narrative of what transpired at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, early this month. Besides Bayo Onaguga’s uncouth response, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, added a different narrative from the incident Obi referenced in the interview. It has been corroborated by eyewitness accounts.
Keyamo did not hide the fact that Obi is government’s target. He has given Obi a week ultimatum to ‘apologise’ to airport officials, pay N25,000 parking fine or face action by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria(FAAN). Don’t be surprised to hear in the days ahead that Obi may be prevented from leaving any of the airports in the country if he fails to pay the alleged parking violation. Unknown to the government and its goons, the more Obi is harassed, the more Nigeria’s image is damaged abroad.
Many Nigerians have risen in Obi’s defence. They include his NDC running mate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, former vice president, and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress(ADC), Atiku Abubakar, among others. Their response is one of saving our democracy and the intimidation of political opponents. Their message is clear: Nothing should happen to Obi. The concern is timely. What happened to Obi last year in Benin City, Edo state, in which he narrowly escaped assassination attempt by hired political thugs, remains a chilling spectacle, especially as we approach another political campaigns.
The Edo incident was a script borrowed from the playbook of those who want Obi vanquished before the next election. The goons’ failed attack on Obi could be likened to a performance from a horror movie that didn’t meet the sponsors’ grand objective. This is the worry: when a government in power starts taking desperate steps away from democratic norms, that’s when every lover of democracy should be concerned. The dangerous signs are already clear. They include stifling dissenting opinions and the harassment of opposition figures. The bottom line is to intimidate, harm, and if possible, kill. Of course, they will tell you that, “heavens will not fall”.
That is the harrowing experience that Obi and other opposition politicians are going through, almost on a daily basis. That’s why Obi has become the talking point of many APC members. Some go from one television station to another, sometimes paying a handsome amount to be interviewed. No other issue of value to talk about other than Obi. It’s part of the ‘brief’ given to all presidential aides, and anyone else who wants to cozy up to the president. Some weeks ago in this column, I pointed out that attacking Obi remains a key component of the APC campaign pitch for the upcoming elections, especially as many surveys continue to show a tight election between President Tinubu and Obi.
That’s why the United States States, and other international observer groups have indicated their interest in the 2027 general elections, in particular, the presidential poll. To sustain the attack on Obi. It was gathered last week that the latest ‘command’ given to presidential aides on media and the campaign team for Tinubu’s re-election is to take the ‘assignment’ on Obi like that of “air traffic controller at a busy airport on a foggy night”. Their eyes should be on the ball to discredit Obi’s high-rising profile. It boils down to two central tasks: knowing what is going on around Obi and getting things done. This means that Obi should be on their radar constantly because time is fast running out. All things considered, this also means the last may not have been heard about the plots against Peter Obi.
