An Igbo President for Nigeria? Peter Obi says tribe won't be an issue in 2027 elections

Описание: Peter Obi believes he would have been Nigeria’s president now, were it not for widespread vote rigging at the last election in 2023. It’s a view shared by many of his fellow countrymen and women. In a wide-ranging interview with Africa Here And Now Mr Obi confirms that he plans to run again in 2027 and believes that this time the outcome will be different.

He says he’s optimistic that people will vote for the best candidate and not cast their ballot on the basis of tribe or religion – accusing the current political elite of deliberately fuelling divisions. “Nigerians will see that we voted religion, we voted tribe, now let's vote competence, capacity,” he says. He feels people would rise up if there were further attempts to manipulate the vote, knowing that failure to do so would lead to more years of hunger, darkness and disappointment.

Mr Obi outlines what he would do differently if he were in charge, making education a priority to unleash Nigeria’s potential. He wants to see the country move from consumption to production, bemoaning the fact that 60% of Nigeria’s arable land is currently uncultivated. “We can make more money from agriculture than we can from oil,” he tells us.

The former governor of Anambra State – a devout Christian - says despite his personal wealth he has always believed in helping the less privileged in society: “I don’t look down on people unless I am going to pull them up.”

Looking east for inspiration, Mr Obi believe Nigeria could learn from the economic boom of recent decades in Asian countries including China, India and Vietnam. He expresses admiration for the former president of Indonesia, Joko Widodo, as someone who made his country better. It’s an ambition he holds for his own country and one he hopes to have a chance to fulfil after the next presidential election in Nigeria.

We also find out a little about the man behind the politics. Donu asks him who his heroes are and what he is currently reading.

We discover that Peter Obi is not given to taking holidays. ‘Can you take a holiday when your house is burning?’ he asks. He likens the situation to the Titanic sinking while people on the upper decks were dancing!



Asking the questions with me was DONU KOGBARA, Abuja-based journalist and commentator.

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