If truth be told, not many would argue that the profile and popularity of the former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, has shot through the roof in the last couple of years. Give it to the former Anambra State Governor, he has been able to warm his way into the hearts of millions of Nigerians, particularly the youths, with his often engaging arguments about his clear understanding of the problems of Nigeria and the many solutions he can bring forward to fix the myriad of problems. But what has perhaps gotten the attention of many Nigerians about this quite brilliant, formidable politician is not just the fact that he appears supremely confident he can fix Nigeria if given the chance, he also demonstrates a passion about Nigeria in a way that is unmatched.
Every time he speaks about the country and his desire to fix its problems, his passion flows through every word that comes forth from his mouth. And more and more Nigerians appear to be appreciating this fact about the Labour Party standard bearer as his support base and followership continues to swell by the day. Now, the word within inner political circles is that Peter Obi is no longer the ‘small fry’ political power houses thought he was. You underestimate Obi now, then, you do so at your own peril! The man has become the nightmare of all the other presidential aspirants and the fear of Peter Obi has since become the beginning of wisdom. Even at this very minute, contents are circulating online about a Google conducted popularity ratings purportedly showing Obi as being the major contender to face President Tinubu in the coming 2027 election.
It is no longer news that in the past couple of months or thereabout, Peter Obi’s name has constantly been in the news because of his move to join forces with some other political juggernauts such as former vice President Atiku Abubakar, Rotimi Amaeachi and Mallam Nasir El-Rufai. They are all determined to unseat President Tinubu come 2027. But there is still a little problem. Amongst the three front runners for the presidency, who will emerge the presidential candidate and who will be his running mate?
According to a lot of political observers and analysts, out of the three major contenders listed above, Peter Obi inclusive, the most desperate of the lot to become president is Peter Obi. And he is not hiding the fact that getting President Tinubu out of Aso Rock by 2027 is a mission he desperately wants to see accomplished. For Obi, 2027 is now never.
This was why, when speculations were rife that he had agreed to be running mate to Attiku Abubakar, he promptly denied such arrangement.
Obi stated this during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, aired on sometime ago.
“I’m going to contest for the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and I believe I am qualified for it,” Obi said.
Responding to rumours that he may pair up with Atiku of the Peoples Democratic Party, Obi said, “This is not in play; nobody has ever discussed that. People assume so many things. Nobody has ever discussed with me whether I am going to be A or B or C.”
There are quite a handful of reasons many believe Peter Obi is desperate to become President. One of the reasons is the fact that he is constantly hounding the Bola Tinubu administration, picking holes in the government’s policies even when it is obvious such policies would yield great results that will be beneficial to the people.
Many have argued that everything should not be about playing politics, when the government has accomplished something worthy of praise, they should be praised and encouraged. It smirks of desperation when the government does something spectacular and, rather than commend their efforts, Obi is busy denigrating the government.
A few months ago, many people were surprised at a video which went viral on social media showing Peter Obi serving food to guests at an event. It came to many as a shock, as they could not understand his real motive.
But many political analysts see it as the desperate move by a desperate politician, going to outrageous length to appeal to people to vote for him as a servant leader when the time comes in 2027.
There was also a news report that went viral of Peter Obi donating huge sums of money to some Muslim organisations up North. Insiders say these are all desperate moves targeted at getting Northern votes, come 2027.
For Peter Obi, everything he does now is deliberate and well orchestrated towards the 2027 General Elections. He has become very intentional about his actions and whatever he does and all is geared towards securing votes to enable him realise his presidential ambition. Once he puts the results of the 2023 elections behind him he knew he had to do a lot to appeal to the North where he didn’t do well the last time.
Peter Obi’s game plan is simple. He wants to be the next President of Nigeria. He believes if he plays his cards well, he can beat Pres. Tinubu to it. He believes that Pres. Tinubu is not invincible. He believes that with the right strategy he can defeat him at the polls and send him parking.
Peter Obi feels that if he is serious about winning, this is his last chance. Once he loses the opportunity in 2027, it might not come his way again anytime soon. He is 63 now and by 2031 he will be 69 and after Tinubu, the presidency will go the North. If the north does another eight years in power like everyone expects going by the unwritten but mutually agreed power sharing formula, the power will not return to the south again until 2039. Peter Obi would by then be 77 years of age. Without mincing words, that would be game over for Obi.
This is why Peter Obi is desperate to be President in 2027. It is the point of no return for him. 2027 is his defining moment. He wants the Presidency, no more, no less. Atiku has made a subtle offer of the VP slot to him, but Obi has said very loud and clear that he doesn’t want to be running mate to anybody.
He once ran with Atiku a few years back but it didn’t work out well and so he promptly opted out of PDP to go contest in Labour Party in 2023. And his sterling performance at the polls has encouraged him to give the contest his best shot, this time around, running as a presidential candidate, like he did in 2023. And he believes it will work out.
Atiku also wants to be President. From all indications, Atiku Abubakar is determined to make one final run for the presidency, knowing this may be his very last shot also, as he will turn 80 years old by 2027. If he fails to emerge winner of the presidential election by 2027, he knows he will be struck out of the contest by 2031 on account of old age. Having made some costly political missteps in 2003 and 2023, Atiku is reportedly more strategic now and ready to go all out to win. The news is already everywhere that Atiku desperately wants to have Peter Obi as his running mate. The deal is for Atiku to do one term only, while Peter Obi takes over.
Without a doubt, Obi is the bride of the coalition. His massive followership of the youth demography makes him highly sought after by all the political groups. He has since announced his intention to be part of the coalition but many close political observers have expressed that Peter Obi may be in some really big dilemma but may be concealing this from the public. He has some really huge challenges he has to deal with in his quest for power, come 2027. There are some tricky situations he must handle very carefully, decisions he needs to be sure about before taking the big plunge, otherwise, he could make some very costly mistakes that might deny him of the presidency he has repeatedly claimed he’s not desperate to get.
