How and why Peter Obi entered into Nigerian politics will continue to baffle those who know that it is a game for losers, rogues, and never-do-wells in any meaningful occupations and professions. Nigerian politics is a kleptocracy writ large and not governed by rules. Nigerian politics has no redeeming features as the legal order on which it is hoisted upon is rendered dysfunctional and cannot be enforced against a certain class of persons for whom the law is powerless.

Politics Nigeriana is a jungle affair. So, you can imagine Peter Obi in this business of politics, and you ask yourself how and why he braved the odds to enter into it? Peter Obi is publicly rated by Nigerians as a good man. Goodman in civic terms for he has been tested in his eight-year tenure as Governor of Anambra State and in his quiet philanthropy and community leadership.

This man does not belong to the class of “timbers and calibres” of K.O Mbadiwe’s First and Second Republics Politics or the Third Republic Babangida’s Arthur Nzeribe/Abimbola Davies/Wada Nas characters. Neither fast-talking like the Wikes nor demagogic like the Tinubus as to leave in its trail ‘quotable quotes’ or that graphic detail that lingers in public memory. So, how then did such a man dabble into Nigerian politics that is marked by the propensity for lies, mischief and damn-right criminalities.

The reason must be found in the love for altruistic intervention for public good for it is in the public arena that a man is most likely to do the greatest good or evil. A self-effacing man, a gabbling talker politically but an engaging conversationalist, especially in matters of political economy, trade, industry, and above all, matters of public governance.

Peter Obi’s public and private life is laid open to the Nigerian public. From a modest middleclass home with a father in public service and a small trader mother. Having graduated from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, he went fully into business and succeeded. It is this humble background that his traducers, especially in the APC look at and dismiss as not resembling their “difficultto-explain” multi-billion-dollar business holdings and political empire.

There are virtually few Nigerian billionaires’ business or means of income that can be traced outside politics and political patronage or crony-capitalism exploiting Nigerian state resources. It is all the above scenario that Nigerian youths having revolted against Nigerian political rulers in October 2020 and got killed for their efforts coalesced on a nebulous term “Obidients” adopted by Peter Obi for the 2023 presidential election. Unfortunately, this Obidient Movement was not a structured revolutionary movement and this unfortunate situation was made worse by the unpreparedness of Peter Obi himself who adopted the Labour Party with near zero political structure to effect that of the nearly 800,000 polling booths, the Labour Party could only field 400,000 agents.

It was no surprise that Peter Obi’s votes were shared between APC and PDP in polling booths where he had no agents or weak ones. This fact was corroborated by the PDP that stated that in their Situation Room in Lagos, Peter Obi allegedly grossed over 900,000 votes but at the end he was credited with only 500,000+ votes. But the irony of this sorry situation is that Peter Obi has not learnt the bitter lessons of Nigeria politics, which is a game of the jackals. Instead of settling down after the 2023 general elections to plan, structure and organise the Obidients Movement to make it a potent civic and political force in Nigeria he allowed the movement and its momentum to dissipate and disintegrate.

One other problem Peter Obi has is that he seems not to know his friends and foes, which could be attributed to his essential character of being a simple man of modest political orientation or just participating in politics to achieve certain political goals of so-called good governance. The overarching need to radically change the society for the better seems not to be in Peter Obi’s agenda, and it is a common failing of every Nigerian politician, and this failure is due to the fact that none of them understands Nigeria having not studied its difficult history.

All they know is to build roads, airports, palaces and make mouth against corruption. Peter Obi will do well, well in terms of not stealing government funds and will manage well public resources, repair public socio-economic infrastructure but abolishing the organic system responsible for this societal decay will be herculean for him and that is where he may clash with the social forces that may propel him to the presidency.

Peter Obi’s gamble with the African Democratic Congress (ADC) would have been unnecessary if he had gotten hold of the Obidients Movement, structured and strengthened it after the 2023 general elections. Nigeria political dinosaurs (Atiku, Tinubu, El-Rufai, etc.) can never forgive him for turning the Nigerian table of politics against them for they were mesmerized by Nigerian youths’ action which changed the politics of “chop-and-chop.”

If Peter Obi had strengthened the ‘Obidients Movement’ opposition politicians would by now have coalesced round him to rescue them from Tinubu’s amoral political blitzkrieg of which only Nigerian youths are the bulwark. It is not yet late for him to devote time to tour the 36 states and Abuja and resuscitate the now dormant social forces seething with social-anger and revolutionary fervour against the present darkness. Hoping for ADC’s presidential ticket is a gamble that can only come if Atiku weans himself of his desperation for the presidency, which he has always taken as the birthright of his Fulani tribe.

He said in 2023 that the Igbo can only be president through him. And he is wrong. Let Peter Obi cure his gabble politics by having a well-defined political message that resonates with Nigerians’ desire for a nationhood founded on common citizenship instead of present tribal cocoons.

Let him be careful of his ADC gamble, and who knows, the Nigeria youths may yet stand by him in 2027. He should start this new beginning with a believable message rather than just interest because belief is an idea, interest is not. A man with belief is 99% stronger than he that has mere interest. Let’s know your political message. Declare it and march with it to the poll. Good luck!