The Peter Obi Phenomenon: By Angelica Nneoma Omeogah

“There is a moral obligation, I think, not to ally oneself with power against the powerless.” — Chinua Achebe, There Was a Country

In the course of his adult life and literary career, Chinua Achebe left us (Nigerians) bits and pieces of revelation, wisdom, and what can be described as roadmaps to becoming a successful and whole people. As Nigerians, we have often, individually and collectively, seen the wisdom in his words, discerned the truth of his warnings, and heeded the counsel in his words. And so again, individually and together, knowingly or unknowingly, we are, the majority of us, agreeing with Chinua Achebe’s postulation that “there is a moral obligation, not to ally oneself with power against the powerless.”

For far too long, the Nigerian masses have been “the powerless”; living in a so-called democracy but not having their views represented; calling Nigeria home while they move from one point to another within Nigeria frightened for their lives; trying to invest in their nation’s economy but being deterred by structural chokeholds. For too long, we have suffered these series of frightful, undemocratic, and entrepreneurship-stifling existences. The ruling sect thrives and the rest of us languish — the powerless. At the highest official levels, the ones with the ruling power have continued to recycle the same calibre of individuals and their kin, storing up unconscionable volumes of wealth, to the detriment of our collective well-being. Collectively, we have had enough, and now more than ever, we believe two things: 1) That we do have the power to change our reality. 2) We are willing to do everything it takes to exercise that power. We will not ally ourselves with power against the powerless, with power against ourselves!

It began like gentle drizzles, and then quickly turned into a heavy downpour, the support for Peter Obi, following the declaration of his presidential ambition on the 24th of March, 2022 (https://www.vanguardngr.com/2022/03/peter-obi-declares-for-2023-presidential-race/ ). In just a few weeks after that, everyone across the country knew his name, heard of his resume, and got acquainted with his character. All information garnered led to a conviction that this was the man we wanted to get behind. We all realised, (some of us instantly; others, with some persuasion) that Peter Obi was a candidate that we could resonate with on many levels: his intellect, his expertise, his fearlessness, his hunger for better, his plans for Nigeria’s advancement, his famed frugality, his sense of humour, his disciplined leadership. It stands to reason that we would want to ally ourselves with someone who, by all indications, was of the same mind as us, in that “there is a moral obligation, not to ally oneself with power against the powerless.”

Like any politician that the public begins to take seriously and hold debates and discussions around, Peter Obi, from the beginning, had existing supporters, many on the lane to conversion, and most significantly, the naysayers. And as is customary, people start to dig into the life of the political individual, more often than not, to find tools to use against them. Peter Obi was no exception to that unfriendly scrutiny. However, whatever the naysayers found out soon paled glaringly, in comparison to the laudable feats of Peter Obi, most especially during his time as Governor of Anambra State in Eastern Nigeria (a position for which he engaged in a 3-year legal battle, to assert his victory https://www.vanguardngr.com/2009/11/anambra-the-judgments-so-far/ ), from March 2006 to March 2014 (this was despite being wrongfully removed from office a couple of times in his first tenure as Governor). The feats of his tenure and testimonies of his character were subsequently unveiled to the general public, piece by piece, in videos, texts and photos alike. It seemed as though every peel off the onion revealed a dozen incredible things about his person, his processes, and his leadership philosophy that were discovered and lit up like a beacon, drawing in even more supporters from around the country and the world.

For the masses, Peter Obi is not a politician that regards any political office as his birthright. Significantly, he was a successful businessman before he ever ventured into politics. He is a vastly educated Nigerian who flourished in the world of business, fought hard for a governor’s seat he rightfully won, and performed remarkably in that position.

This candidate has shown that he knows the depths of the capacities of Nigerian youths and wants to harness both our environmental and human resources for development. With all his dreams and the massive global support, he is always conscious of the fact that he is but an emissary, carrying the country’s hopes, and that when he becomes President, he will represent the interest of the people of the Federal Republic. In his announcement on May 27th, 2022 about joining the Labour Party and continuing his race under that banner, he wrote in a tweet: “This project is yours and for the future of your children. I am just a facilitator.” https://twitter.com/PeterObi/status/1530217744976822278

So, you ask, “Why Peter Obi? Why all the craze? Why the Peter Obi phenomenon?” It is because Peter Obi, in addition to other qualities, comes across to the scorned people of Nigeria as a public servant who actually understands the concept of public service. In a dire situation like the current pathetic state of Nigeria, many people believe that electing the next president is literally a fight for their lives. And when you’re fighting for your life, you will unblinkingly back your undisputed champion.

One of his popular phrases, “Go and verify”, has been used by Peter Obi and his steadily growing army of supporters (the “Obidients”), to signify to all and sundry, especially those still doubting his capacity to function as President, that a track record of good leadership exists for Obi. After a very long time of being in a stagnant country with ineffective leadership, and come election time, being almost drowned in a sea of empty familiar campaign promises by a recycled set of self-serving politicians, what is needed now and what would be rallied around, is a candidate who has proven his mettle. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsgAVwiJ5qI

In addition to a reputation for not mismanaging public funds, Mr. Obi is equally famed for being frugal even with personal funds and personal spending, as well as not bribing or financially patronising his way through life. As more examples of his frugality graced the limelight of the internet, another even more popular slogan started coursing through the streets, in honour of this instant political hero and in comradery with him: “We no dey give shishi” (a Pidgin English phrase which translates to “we will give no penny”). The slogan resonates with different supporters in different ways. But I think that it generally means to all “Obidients” that the Obi campaign (of which they are part and parcel) as well as the envisaged Obi administration is and will be one free of free money, free of undeserved rewards, free of nepotism, free of bribery and the outrightly brazen corruption that has led the country down a very deep hole. Many youths have of course put their own spin on it and continue to apply it to different parts of their lives, all in furtherance of the Peter Obi message.

Peter Obi declared his presidential ambition on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). Because of governmental failures of the last near-8 years, some Obi supporters were just glad it wasn’t the ruling All Progressives Congress. PDP is APC’s main opposition party, which implies that they have a good amount of “structure”, so presumably there was hope for our man, Obi, standing behind such a strong party. Make no mistake, Nigerian youths in their collective campaign were not supporting PDP; it was Peter Obi they rose for. He is the movement. He is the bearer of our united vision of a better Nigeria. His name is the call-to-arms. A few people must have been wondering (myself included) what would become of Peter Obi in this political party that we knew for a fact to be just as corrupt and uncaring as the ruling party. Then, on 27th May, Mr. Obi announced to Nigerians that he would now be running under the banner of the Labour Party (https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/533601-updated-peter-obi-emerges-labour-party-presidential-candidate.html). How daring! The evening of his announcement and the morning that followed were filled with opinions on what he had just done, in whispers and loud proclamations alike. Most people just wondered what was next and how this would play out for Candidate Obi. What became very clear very quickly, following this development was that Obi supporters were not going to change their tune just because he changed his party, even if they didn’t understand the move. Moreover, we all came to understand, because Peter Obi made it clear: the values of the PDP did not align with his values, and he was not afraid to start the process afresh in a new party, to protect the integrity of his campaign and his plans for a new, more productive Nigeria (from consumption to production). It was not very normal to see a Nigerian political leader that was actively vested in standing out and standing up for the good of the country and its citizens. True to Mr Obi’s statements and sentiments of how the Labour Party is more suited to his dream of a better Nigeria, Nigerian youths continue to find ways to artistically depict how the Obi campaign and the Labour Party platform are a match made in heaven. It was as this started to happen that the whole country began to realise more and more, that the “Obidients” would follow Obi anywhere he went; that they would fly whatever banner he chose; and that they would not give the naysayers an inch of breathing room to propagate doubt. For them, the phrase, “Vote Peter Obi” is synonymous to “Fix Nigeria”. Peter Obi has shown himself in many ways to be just the man who should be carrying the baton for us: his principles and his antecedents are reflective of a leader who is actually committed to taking us to the promised land.

The Nigerian youths, who are the largest pool of “Obidients” are a tired lot; burning with energy to excel and achieve, and yet being constantly let down by the government tasked with supporting them. They are tired and they are hungry; hungry for change, for advancement, and for the actualisation of their dreams. Their home country is supposed to provide a safe and conducive environment for this, but they have been disappointed too much and too often. The Nigerian youth are tired of the Nigeria that is their grim reality. When Peter Obi announced his candidacy, it was as though all of the frustration that we had felt for so long could finally be channelled somewhere productive, somewhere it would make a difference. We knew we had power in our votes, and even those of us who did not previously know were now being sensitised. We knew we had the power to change our reality, and now, finally, there was a candidate worthy enough to carry all that power. So, for the first time in a long while, young Nigerians overwhelmed the capacity of electoral officers to register voters, by trooping to voter registration centres in droves, to get their PVCs (Permanent Voter’s Card), which they soon tagged Peter Victory Card! The “Obidients” have imbued the Peter Obi campaign with all their power and are determined to leave no stone unturned in mobilising, sensitising, donating and voting towards their collective victory.

If the Peter Obi movement has achieved nothing else, it has awoken the whole country to true citizen participation, the power of a voice and a vote, and has given something to emulate in terms of what a democracy should look like.

The thing about language is how it connects otherwise unrelated people, and unites them towards a common goal — voting in Peter Obi as the next president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in accordance with a common sentiment that “there is a moral obligation, not to ally oneself with power against the powerless.”