Why Peter Obi will not Make a Good President -By Ikenna Omeje

In the last couple of years, there has been clamour on various media platforms about former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, being the Messiah Nigerians have been looking for, to lead the country to eldorado. Being a student of politics, one  thing I have realized is that Nigerians are forgetful, easily swayed, and fall cheaply to spiral silence theory.  The media has shaped Obi as a trustworthy leader with brilliant economic acumen – the type of leader that Nigeria actually needs at this point in time. But it is important that this question is answered: Is Obi truly the type of leader the media defines him to be? To me, the answer is no! Obi is far from being the leader the media defines him as. I think the media has been too kind to him, and this over the years, has helped to cover his incompetencies and arrogance.

As a governor, one would have thought that a man with his level of exposure will do wonders. But the reverse was the case. Anambra State under his leadership was not in the top three states in terms of internally generated revenue. His supporters have touted how he built infrastructure and left millions of dollars in the state account. My question is: What signature  infrastructural project, that has added significant value to the state, can he point to that he built? It is one thing to be frugal and use resources within your latitude for the purposes it is meant for. And another, not frugal, but understands prudent management of resources. Obi was frugal quite alright while in office as governor of Anambra State, but did he use the resources at his disposal to address the challenges of the state? This is a question that I think the answer is there for everybody to see.

Anambra State under Obi as governor lacked basic infrastructure including an airport. Even though people from the state rank high when it comes to air passengers traffic. One thing you can not take away from philosophers is that they are more idealistic and less realistic. As a philosopher, Obi will impress you any day off the pitch. But on the pitch, he lacks the strategy to deliver on the job.

I first came in contact with Obi in January 2019 – at the memorial service of the late father of the former governor of Ogun State, Gbenga Daniel.  That was in the build-up to  the 2019 general election, in which he was the running mate to the former vice president, Atiku Abubakar. After the church service, guests were asked to move to Daniel’s compound, which is just about three metres walk distance from the church. Right at the compound, I was to go check on my former boss who was at the reception hall, where guests were being entertained.  I was walking towards the entrance of the reception hall when I saw Obi and two men walking down the aisle I was taking. On approaching me, one of the men, pushed me violently to the side, and yelled, “Can’t you see that the vice president is passing?” My ankle almost got twisted while I staggered to avoid a free fall. But unfortunately, I still fell.  To my chargrin, Obi did not even blink an eye at me, or caution his overzealous ‘boy’. He just walked brisk passed me without uttering a word. 

Obi is not only shrewdly arrogant, he is also full of himself. In my view, such a man will make a bad president. One of the hallmarks of leadership is the ability to sympathize and empathize with people. We all saw the American president, Joe Biden, knelt down before the daughter of late George Floyd, last year to apologise for the wrong done to his father by the police. 

To make Nigeria a better country, we must eschew sentiment and ethnic parochialism, and say the truth no matter whose ox is gored. I’m an Igbo man. Same is Obi. But I will  not support his candidacy because he has not proven to me that he has what it takes to lead Nigeria to where it ought to be. I think the whole noise about his candidacy is media driven and it lacks substance. We must play down on  ethnic connection to get the country working. Nigeria does not only need a leader who is young, highly educated, smart, and knowledge-driven. The country also needs a leader who is  sympathetic and nothing close to arrogant as president. It is high time we raised the bar and stopped using the failures of the current crop of leaders as yardstick to determine who the cap fits.

Ikenna Omeje

Journalist based in Lagos