The Nigerian political space has recently been inundated by conversations on the formation of a political coalition to wrestle power from the current administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. These conversations, fueled by the excruciating hardship and overwhelming leadership failure in the country, have become more frequent as politicians strategise, having come to the realisation that only a united opposition can wrestle power from President Tinubu.
Every time this conversation comes up, two people have always been at the centre of it namely Mr Peter Obi, former Governor of Anambra State, and the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party during the last election, and of course, his boss, the former Vice President of Nigeria, and Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. These two dominate the conversation for different reasons: Peter Obi, because of his populist nature and surprising remarkable outing in the 2023 Presidential election; Atiku, because of his status as a political heavyweight, a Northerner, and the fact that the PDP still remains one of the biggest parties in the country with a strong political structure. There is also the fact that as a team, Atiku/Obi was a rave in 2019, and the ticket was seen by many as the ideal ticket for the Nigerian people.
So, as plans for the 2027 Presidential election intensify, many political strategists have called for a coalition similar to the one that led to the formation of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in 2013. This coalition is seen as the only viable way of defeating President Tinubu.
In the midst of these clamours, Peter Obi, arguably Nigeria’s most popular and most beloved politician, has recently stated in a function in Abuja that:
“I’m in coalition against hunger, a coalition against poverty, a coalition against ill health, politics for me is not about positions, it is about doing the right thing.”
Recall that earlier, Obi had also said that he would not be interested in any coalition whose sole purpose is to “snatch power”.
Obi’s utterances, the last of which came after it was rumoured that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar had made overtures to run on a joint ticket with him, with Obi as the Vice President, have created a lot of divisions. While some, especially his Obidients, insist that Obi cannot run as a Vice President considering his pull as a populist candidate, others have berated him and called for the sacrifice of egos in order to rescue Nigeria from the hands of APC and President Tinubu.
One question immediately arises: is the target the emancipation of Nigerians from bad governance, or is it about personal needs and egos? A second question is: how would one usher in change in governance without being part of the government? This becomes more important when one reflects on Peter Obi’s frequent assertions that he is not desperate for power, but solely focused on playing his part to usher in a Nigeria that works.
If that then is the case, it follows that Obi should be willing to shelve personal ambitions, and join alliances that will work, especially one where he has a key role to play. Obi’s target of eradicating hunger, tackling insecurity, addressing healthcare, education and power challenges, and building a manufacturing economy cannot come to fruition without access to power in the first instance. Therefore, the very first step is to do what is necessary to gain power, before taking the right and needed steps to infuse your vision into governance.
From a strategic and realistic point of view, what one therefore expects from Peter Obi is that he makes out time to address his supporters, and explain the importance of first boarding the governance vehicle which can then take the country to the Promised Land. To board this vehicle demands that sacrifices and compromises are made for the greater good of Nigeria. In the absence of that, he then needs to explain to Nigerians why he would not want sufferings continue but rather, align for greater good.
While democracy is one of the best systems of government, it is not perfect. Oftentimes, it requires strategic thinking, marriage of strange bedfellows, and compromises to secure boarding onto the governance vehicle. It is only by being onboard this vehicle that one can then implement his or vision of change. This understanding is what Nigerians and leaders of the opposition need now. And as champion of the Nigerian masses, Obi must understand this, and come to terms with it.
