Yes, Peter Obi is a Saint
If you had the curiosity to click on this article, I will assume that you are familiar with the name Peter Obi. The ‘Obidient Movement’ has been gaining steady momentum, and has left political analysts wondering how they missed predicting this political tornado. The unusual rise of Peter Obi through relative political obscurity has confounded the usual gatekeepers of Nigerian politics — nobody saw it coming! But before we delve into the reasons for the rise of Peter Obi, it is only appropriate to answer the question of who the man — Peter Obi — may or may not be.
The 2023 elections have provided us with three major candidates contesting for the office of the presidency; Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and Peter Gregory Obi. All three men have held political office in recent Nigerian history, which gives us the advantage of comparing them on the basis of their personalities, their record in office, as well as their records after office. Many people have tried to make this comparison, and will still try, but the evidence all points in one direction; Peter Obi beats all other candidates. The reasons are not too hard to see.
- In Nigeria, it is almost impossible to find a governor who served for eight years and was not accused of corruption and gross financial misappropriation. Of this small group, Peter Obi is one of them. Bola Ahmed Tinubu is also a former governor, but he has been accused of being one of the most corrupt governors Nigeria has ever seen. He has not been able to answer questions about Alpha Beta, and has been linked to the firm on several occasions. He is accused of using the firm to defraud Lagosians and massively evade taxes. He was charged for operating illegal foreign accounts through his proxies while he was governor of Lagos State. Bola Tinubu is a man who has a criminal record that tells the story of him as a drug lord, running an international drug empire. With regards to corruption, BAT and Alj. Atiku Abubakar are proverbial soulmates. Atiku Abubakar and his wife has been accused of international money laundering of up to $40 million. His name also appeared in the Halliburton bribery case, amongst others. When you compare their records on corruption, the verdict is that Peter Obi is the least corrupt politician.
2. As governor of Anambra State Peter Obi overachieved, exceeding all expectations. Space constraints will not permit the listing of all his achievements. His massive infrastructural projects in Anambra are still visible today. His investments in education saw Anambra rise from number twenty-four to number one in WAEC and NECO ranking. When leaving office, he left over $500 million dollars for the state, at a time when other governors were leaving behind massive debts. On the other hand, Tinubu’s legacy in Lagos is hotly debated. Supporters of Tinubu like to say that Tinubu built Lagos, but Lagos was the capital of Nigeria for thirty-one years. As a capital city, Lagos had a master plan, good road networks, massive investment in infrastructure, etc. How can you build a city that was the capital of the country for over three decades? Moreover, the level of infrastructure decay and traffic gridlock in Lagos presently is not a record anyone should be running on. As for Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, he doesn’t even enter the conversation. His only recorded achievement in government is diverting public funds toward his business interest. Again, when you compare the records on achievements while in government, the verdict is that Peter Obi comes out top.
3. To lead a country as complex as Nigeria, it is expected that you should have a good education and exposure. This is even more important now considering that the next president will have to repair the generational damage wrecked on Nigeria by the Buhari administration. Peter Obi’s educational qualifications speak for themselves. The man reached the highest level of education in internationally renowned educational institutions. Alhaji Atiku Abubakar also has some decent educational qualifications including a master’s degree in International Relations. Bola Tinubu has not been able to produce a genuine degree certificate and has claimed like Buhari that he has lost his academic certificates. When Bola Tinubu ran for the governorship of Lagos State, the educational certificates he submitted to INEC do not tally with the certificates he presented to INEC in 2022. A man who lacks integrity and can’t be genuine with Nigerians about his education, his childhood, or even his real name, how can he be entrusted with the affairs of Nigeria? Again, in terms of educational achievement, Peter Obi is the best of the bunch!
Unfortunately, Nigerian politicians have set the bar of integrity and good governance so low that anybody who is able to do the barest minimum, such as pay workers’ salaries is elevated to the god status. In this muddled field of Nigerian politics, given a choice between Peter Obi, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi is a saint compared to the other candidates, and he beats them hands down in all ramifications. The records are there for all to see, go and verify!
