Profiling 2023 Nigerian Presidential Candidates: Peter Gregory Obi

With the Nigerian elections scheduled to hold on February 25, 2023, Nigerians are up to their eyeballs over who will win the presidential seat. As the day draws closer, the competition becomes increasingly intense about who will become the next Mr. President.

The major Presidential candidates gaining the spotlight are:

The 14 other candidates contesting for the Nigerian presidency are:

Could it be that the “saviour” Nigeria awaits is Peter Obi? the man from the East raising an “Obi”dient crowd? A peek into his background could give some insight into Presidential candidate Obi.

While human actions have repeatedly proven unpredictable, it has been shown that certain factors influence behaviour. Humans act as they do due to complex arrays of elements, some of which are psychological. In contrast, others are physiological and social or environmental factors all play a part.

Hence, from his in-depth portrait, demystifying Peter Obi’s agenda can better show than tell.

Obi’s Education

Peter Obi CON, a Nigerian businessman and politician, was born on July 16, 1961. He had his secondary education at Christ the King College, Onitsha, before proceeding to the University of Nigeria in 1980, where he graduated with a B.A. (Hons.) in philosophy in 1984.

Peter Obi has since earned several professional certificates from the Lagos Business School, Harvard Business School, the London School of Economics, Columbia Business School, the International Institute for Management Development, the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, the Sad Business School at Oxford University, and the Judge Business School at Cambridge University.

Obi’s Business Ventures

Before venturing into politics, Obi was an established business tycoon. In the Arise TV Morning show with Peter Obi, Peter refutes claims against his source of wealth, shedding more light on his previous business dealings.

He has held several top positions in the private business world, which include: Next International Nigeria Ltd., Chairman and Director of Guardian Express Mortgage Bank Ltd., Guardian Express Bank Plc., Future View Securities Ltd., Paymaster Nigeria Ltd., Chams Nigeria Ltd., Data Corp. Ltd., Card Centre Ltd., as well as Fidelity Bank Plc.

Obi’s Political Career

Obi has been in the political arena for about two decades now. He ventured into politics in 2003 and has since advanced in his political career.

Obi’s Gubernatorial Journey

In 2003, Peter Obi ran as a candidate for the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) party in the Anambra State Governorship Election but lost to Chris Ngige of the People’s Democratic Party, who was declared the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

However, Ngige’s victory was overturned by the Court of Appeal on March 15, 2006, after almost three years of court litigation. Obi was elected governor on March 17, 2006, but was impeached by the state House of Assembly after only seven months in office. 

Virginia Etiaba, his deputy, replaced him the next day, on November 2, 2006. However, Obi successfully challenged his impeachment and was reinstated as governor by the Court of Appeal sitting in Enugu on February 9, 2007.

On May 29, 2007, Obi was voted out of office following the General Elections, which saw Andy Uba declared the winner by the electoral body. 

Obi again challenged his removal in court, arguing that the four-year tenure he had won in the 2003 elections only started to run when he took office in March 2006. The Supreme Court of Nigeria upheld Obi’s argument and returned him to his office on June 14, 2007.

On February 7, 2010, Peter Obi was declared the winner of the 2010 Anambra State gubernatorial election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) after defeating his closest opponent, Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, a former governor. Governor Obi will now serve another four years as governor of Anambra State due to this victory.

Obi’s Presidential Run

Peter Obi was named the running mate to Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, in the 2019 presidential election on October 12, 2018. 

Obi’s staunch opposition to the proposal for a standardized national minimum wage was one of his key arguments as a candidate for Vice President. He contended that different states should have different minimum wages. 

However, Obi and his principal, Atiku Abubakar, came in second in the election.

Peter Obi declared his intention to run for the position of President of Nigeria under the platform of the People’s Democratic Party on March 24, 2022. 

He, however, pulled out, citing issues of bribery within the party. Later, he announced he would run on the platform of the Labour Party instead.

Since his declaration, younger generations, many of whom are under 30, have been among the most vocal supporters of Obi’s candidacy. They have since given themselves the nomenclature “obi”dients.

Is the future of Nigeria “Obi”dient?

Taking a cue from Peter’s history of passion and grit, is Peter prepared enough to save the day? This remains a hard one to crack because of the history of Nigerian politics.

While for many, Peter’s agenda represents another airtight balloon prepared to be busted, Peter might just be the long-awaited savior for many others.