Known for his eloquence, prudence and credibility, Peter Obi, the businessman turned Presidential candidate, to many Nigerians would seem to be the long-awaited messiah and the answer to all of Nigeria’s economic and financial woes.
Born on July 19, 1961, in Onitsha, Peter Gregory Obi attended Christ the King College, where he completed his secondary school education before gaining admission to the University Of Nigeria Nsukka to study Philosophy in 1980.
Obi acquired business certifications from Lagos Business School, Harvard Business School, Cambridge, London Business School, and a few other prestigious universities.
While acquiring these certifications, Mr Obi also managed a successful corporate career, rising through the ranks to become the youngest chairman in Fidelity Bank PLC, the chairman and director of Guardian Express Bank Plc, Paymaster Nigeria Ltd, Chams Nigeria Ltd, Data Corp Ltd and Card Centre Ltd.
In 1992, Obi married Margaret Brownson Usen and together they have two adult children.
Peter Obi In Politics
In 2003, Peter Obi contested and won the governorship seat in Anambra State on the ticket of the then-green All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) but his victory was short-lived after a court order judgement declared Chris Ngige of the People’s Democratic Party the winner.
Obi went to court to challenge the judgement and after three years, he was declared the winner of the contested elections. But after only 6 months in office, he was impeached by the state house of assembly on grounds of According to him, he was impeached because he refused to inflate the state budget. He appealed, and the impeachment was overturned, allowing him to continue from 9 February to 29 May 2007.
In fresh elections in the state that same year, Obi lost the governorship to challenger Andy Uba. He took to the courts again, arguing that he had another three years to serve his unfinished first term.
The Supreme Court ruled in Obi’s favour, and he served out the remaining three years of his governorship. He then went on to win the 2010 elections, defeating Charles Soludo, former governor of the central bank.
On 12 October 2018, Peter Obi was named as the running mate to Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party’s Presidential Candidate in the Nigerian 2019 Presidential elections. His party came second with approximately 11.3 million votes.
On 24 March 2022, Peter Obi declared his intention to run for the position of President of Nigeria on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, but on May 24, Obi resigned from PDP to join Labour Party, where he is currently the party’s Presidential candidate.
Public Opinion
At least 30 million Nigerians believe the presidential seat should be zoned to the southeast and this may seem like a good reason Obi has many supporters. But it is beyond merely an argument of zoning, it transcends to which candidate the people can trust with their future.
From his coarse voice to his bland appearance and his broad knowledge of the country’s economy, Peter Obi is believed to have not only created the image of a prudent and honest manager but his public actions and style have also fiercely aligned with his message.
There is also the knowledge of his excellent job while governor in Anambra State, as well as his, indebt understanding and workable strategy on how to better Nigeria.