Who Is Afraid Of Peter Obi?

Who Is Afraid Of Peter Obi?

By Emeka Alex Duru (08054103327, nwaukpala@yahoo.com)

Even before the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officially signals the start of the 2027 election cycle, political manoeuvring, especially regarding the presidency, is already well underway. President Bola Tinubu’s camp has orchestrated events – from securing his endorsement as the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s sole candidate to fomenting crises within the opposition and pressuring newly elected governors from other parties to defect to the APC.

This strategy aims to create an uncontested path for Tinubu’s second term. This is the intended design, and for the most part, it seems to be working. However, the one factor that refuses to align with this plan is Peter Obi.

Obi is undeniably a significant figure in contemporary Nigerian politics. From his tenure as Anambra State governor to his 2023 presidential campaign under the Labour Party (LP), where he eschewed personal attacks and focused on addressing the challenges facing Nigerians, he has presented himself as a new type of politician. His bold approach and the widespread support he has garnered from ordinary citizens have made him a force to be reckoned with in 2027.

Tinubu and his supporters view the “Obi phenomenon” with unease, recognising the government’s perceived shortcomings and the potential for a free and fair election to yield a different result. Therefore, undermining Obi has become a priority for the president’s loyalists.

This explains the constant attacks against him, often focusing on trivial matters. A prime example is the deliberate misinterpretation of Obi’s congratulatory message to the newly crowned Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Rashidi Ladoja. Let’s examine the incident and the ensuing controversy.

Upon Oba Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja’s coronation as the Olubadan of Ibadan, numerous Nigerians, including President Tinubu and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, sent congratulatory messages. Obi also extended his well-wishes. Notably, all three men addressed the monarch as “my dear brother.”

However, certain individuals, driven by malice, singled out Obi’s use of this phrase, claiming it was disrespectful to the Oba and his traditional office. Ironically, similar expressions used by Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar were not interpreted as disrespectful.

Even after Obi clarified that he intended no disrespect and that his choice of words reflected his personal style of addressing individuals he holds in high esteem as “my dear elder brother,” the explanation was dismissed. The attack dogs had already been unleashed.

A particularly vitriolic character named Wale Ojo Lanre went to extreme lengths, attacking Obi and his lineage. In a Facebook thread, responding to a post insinuating that Obi had dishonoured Oba Ladoja, Lanre retorted, “Don’t blame him (Obi)—how can you expect decency from one who was never bred with honour?

It is not his fault, but the fault of his progenitors, whom the Creator denied the grace of civility and noble comportment. He cannot give what he does not have. His veins are steeped in animalistic instincts; barbarism flows through his pedigree. A shameless fraud, a congenital liar, a man whose entire lineage reeks of mannerless degradation.”

It apparently did not occur to Lanre and his cohorts that Obi and Ladoja were both former governors and may have had an existing relationship. The fact that Obi, as governor of Anambra, and Ladoja, in Oyo, both faced impeachment during President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration, potentially forging a bond, was also overlooked.

Even the Oba’s own statement that he saw nothing wrong with Obi’s message was ignored by the hate-mongers. Their sole objective was to discredit Obi. Such is the pitfall of actions fueled by petty prejudice; they can be disastrous.

This situation echoes the frenzy among the commoners in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, where the poet Cinna was lynched following Caesar’s assassination. Caesar, a Roman general and statesman, was killed by members of his political class who feared his growing power.

Later revelations about Caesar’s true character ignited the public, who, in a fit of rage, took to the streets in search of the conspirators.

Cinna the poet, unfortunately, crossed their path. Mistaken for Cinna the conspirator, who had supported Caesar’s assassination, he was attacked despite his vehement pleas of innocence. His cries of, “I am not Cinna the conspirator, I am Cinna the poet,” were ignored. The mob, instead, chanted, “Kill him for his poor verses.” This illustrates the danger of misplaced aggression.

This is the price Peter Obi is paying at the hands of Tinubu and his allies. Obi is not responsible for the nation’s hunger crisis. His “sin” is asserting his constitutional right to contest the presidency in 2027, if he remains alive.

Another factor working against him is his outspoken criticism of the deteriorating political, economic, and security situation in the country, in contrast to the government’s claims of progress.

In January, when Obi warned that the situation was spiralling out of control, APC National Publicity Secretary Felix Morka accused him of inciting Nigerians to overthrow the government. Morka issued thinly veiled threats, stating, “Obi has crossed the red line so many times, whatever he has coming to him, he should manage it.”

Morka’s inflammatory remarks did not result in any repercussions from law enforcement. Instead, two APC governors, Reverend Father Hyacinth Alia of Benue State and Monday Okpebholo of Edo, who have struggled with public approval due to poor performance and questionable paths to office, saw an opportunity to gain relevance by targeting Obi.

In April, Governor Alia issued a directive preventing Obi from visiting and assisting inmates in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camps in Benue, citing flimsy excuses. Okpebholo followed suit, warning Obi to obtain security clearance before visiting Edo State. Obi had previously visited Benin City, donating N15 million to St. Philomena Hospital School of Nursing Sciences. Okpebholo couldn’t appreciate the gesture, preferring to halt Obi from extending similar goodwill to other institutions in the state.

It is therefore not surprising to hear concerned Nigerians ask: “Why always Peter Obi?” And, consequently, “Who is afraid of Peter Obi?” The answer is simple: this is the state to which Nigerian democracy has been reduced under the Tinubu administration. You are either with the president or you are a target. Obi is, therefore, a problem that must be eliminated.

This approach is fraught with peril, potentially paving the way for authoritarianism. This is the central argument of Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt’s 2018 book on comparative politics, How Democracies Die. The book cautions against leaders subverting the democratic process to consolidate power.

It warns, “Democracies may die at the hands not of generals but of elected leaders – presidents or prime ministers who subvert the very process that brought them to power.”

The coordinated attacks against Peter Obi by the government and its supporters are pushing Nigeria’s democracy toward that dangerous precipice.

• DURU is the Editor, TheNiche Online Newspapers, Lagos