A few days ago, many people were surprised at the 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 mere politics, trying to appeal to many 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 to some Muslim organisations Up North. Insiders say all these are 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 put 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 invicible. 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 2023, 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. He has already come out to say what he wants is the Presidency. He has also added that he doesn’t want to be running mate to anybody. Atiku has offered him the No 2 position, but Peter Obi is not excited about the offer.
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. 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 be 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.
The first big challenge before Obi is the deal being dangled before him to to accept the position of running mate to Atiku. He has come out publicly to say he does not mind being running mate to Atiku, but his followers are divided over this decision, with some standing with him on the issue, while others disagree. Not only do they disagree, they are also threatening to withdraw their support from him should he agree to be Atiku or anyone’s running mate for that matter.
Already, some members of his support base known as the Obidients, have insisted he must accept nothing less than the presidential ticket from the ADC or any platform on which he decides to run. And in recent times, events have proven that Obi does pander to their whims and caprices. He shudders to do anything contrary to their wishes. This one of the reasons why many , especially those who do not align with his aspirations criticise him for his inability to control the Obidients whenever they launch social media attacks on personalities they consider a rival or enemy of their beloved Peter Obi. Obi has made commendable progress in organising the Obidient Movement into a structured platform. He appointed Dr. Yunusa Tanko—a tested and capable politician—as national coordinator. Executives like Nana Kazaure and Morris Monye have also been mobilising new members ahead of 2027.But despite all of this, the big question remains, how will Obi pacify the Obidients? How will he make them understand that running with Atiku is the sensible thing to do at this time? The if they are not convinced about his move, he may lose their support.
Apart from the fear of losing his support base if he decides to be Atiku’s running mate, another challenge before Obi is that becoming a running mate is a risky proposition. Yes, Atiku may appear sincere about doing one term and stepping down to allow Obi run the next term and possibly go on to do another 4 years, but we all know that politicians are not exactly the most trustworthy people. They often renege on promises once they secure power. Even if Atiku means well, the sycophants around him will likely pressure him to seek a second term. More importantly, in Nigeria, vice presidents are often treated as ceremonial figures. So, the trust factor is always going to pop up. Can Obi trust Atiku well enough not to renege on his promise to step aside after one term? This is the one million dollar question no one can possibly answer – except Atiku.
There is nothing guaranteed in politics and even Peter Obi knows this. Leaving the Labour Party, the party on whose platform he achieved monumental political success and popularity during the last 2023 presidential election couldn’t be such an easy decision to make. And it remains to be seen if its not a decision that would come with very grave consequences. For starters, 2027 is still a fairly long time away. In politics, its too long a time for many things to happen. There could suddenly be alignments and realignments that could throw Obi out of the final set up in ADC. Where would that leave him? Going back to the Labour Party will be out of the question for him. He, in particular, has been blamed for being part of the reasons the Labour Party is embroiled in crisis. At this very minute, the Labour Party is divided into three factions. Julius Abure holds sway as leader of one faction, Nenadi Usman is laying claim to another while Apapa too insists he is in charge of Labour Party. If Peter Obi runs into problems with ADC, where would he run back to?
There is also the small but significant issue of Obi not enjoying enough support from all the other South east governors. The South east being Obi’s stronghold, this should worry him. The likes of Dave Umahi, Alex Otti of Abia state, the governor of Obi’s home state of Anambra, Charles Soludo, Ebonyi governor, Francis Ugbonna Nwifuru, Hope Uzodinma of Imo state, have all distanced themselves from Peter Obi. He apprears to be standing alone, his brothers from the east are not standing with him. This situation, naturally, should worry him. The east is his stronghold and if the governors in charge of his strongholds are not with him, then there is still some fire on the mountain for Obi to quench before 2027 comes knocking.
–WALE LAWAL
(08037209290)
