Peter Gregory ObiCON (Igbo:[òbí]ⓘ; born 19 July 1961) is a Nigerian politician and businessman who was the Governor of Anambra State under President Olusegun Obasanjo from 17 March 2006 to 3 November 2006, when he was impeached. He was reinstated on 9 February 2007 and continued his tenure until 2010. He was reelected for his second term until 7 March 2014. A member of the Labour Party since 2022, he was the presidential candidate in the 2023 Nigerian presidential election.
Obi contested for the Governor of Anambra State under the All Progressives Grand Alliance in 2003, but lost to Chris Ngige. Ngige's win in the election was overturned in 2006 by the Court of Appeal, after a ruling at Enugu, which declared Obi the winner of the 2003 election, and he resumed office on 17 March 2006. Obi was impeached on 3 November 2006 by the Anambra State House of Assembly led by the speaker Mike Balonwu. After refusal of participating in the election in April 2007, which would later be won by Andy Uba, Obi challenged the impeachment, which was annulled by the Supreme court of Nigeria.[4] Obi was re-instated on 14 June 2007. On 7 February 2010, Obi won the Anambra State election, and served his second term until 17 March 2014, when he was succeeded by Willie Obiano. After the 2015 General Election, President Goodluck Jonathan appointed Obi as the chairman of the Nigerian Security and Exchange Commission (SEC), and on 12 October 2018, Obi was named as the running mate to Atiku Abubakar under the Peoples Democratic Party's for the presidential election in 2019. Obi was the third in the results.[5]
On 24 March 2022, Obi declared his intention to run for President of Nigeria under the party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Afterwards, he pulled out, announcing that he will be running under the Labour Party instead.[6][7] According to the Nigerian newspaper Peoples Gazette, Obi wrote to the leaders of PDP on 24 May 2022, to resign his membership,[8] as well as reportedly complained of massive bribing of delegates and vote buying during the party's presidential primary, citing the existence of a party clique collaborating against him.[9] Obi's business background and status as a major candidate unaffiliated with either of Nigeria's two main parties has drawn comparisons with Emmanuel Macron's successful 2017 French presidential election.[10][11]
Obidient movement
During the 2023 Presidential election campaign, people under 30 proved to be some of the biggest Obi's supporters, showing their support via social media, protests and street marches.[12][13][14]Aisha Yesufu endorsed Obi in her first-ever endorsement of a presidential candidate.[15] Young supporters of Obi's campaign were generally called the "Obidients", which was coined from his name "Obi".[13] In a Business Day opinion article, Chikwurah Isiguzo argued that:[16]
[The Obidients] are attracted by Peter Obi's ideology of frugality, economic production rather than the ostentatious consumerism and waste, and resourceful management and investment in key sectors, for economic growth and development.
Political commentators have generally argued that Obi's third party candidacy appeals to young voters dissatisfied with the two major parties, which has resulted in the "biggest political movement in recent Nigerian history."[17] With his core message of prudence and accountability, Obi has managed to gain the backing of voters for his previously largely unknown Labour Party into a strong third force against two political heavyweights, APC and PDP.[18] Before campaigns were officially kicked off, Obi's supporters held a series of One Million Man Marches in several Nigerian cities including Makurdi, Calabar, Lafia, Port Harcourt, Afikpo, Owerri, Enugu, Auchi, Abuja, Kano, Ilorin, Abakaliki and Ibadan. The marches were not part of the official campaigns; as they were led by volunteer Obi supporters and not Obi's in-house team or political party. The marches experienced massive turnouts.[19][20][21][22]
Selection of running mate
Physician Doyin Okupe initially was the temporary running mate of Obi until a substantive candidate could be selected.[23] In the run-up to the final selection of a running mate, media outlets reported that there was an effort to have former Senator Shehu Sani of Kaduna State serve as Obi's running mate.[24]
This is our right to secure, unite and make Nigeria productive. And you can't do that without having people who have similar visions, ideas and are prepared for the task. So, I have the honour today to present to you, God willing, Nigeria's next vice president in the person of Senator Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed.[25]
Election results
The results were announced on 1 March 2023. Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress party, was named the president-elect with 8.79 million votes. Obi received 6.1 million votes, and won in both Lagos and Abuja.[26] This put Obi in third place behind winner Bola Tinubu and People's Democratic Party nominee Atiku Abubakar. Due to the elections being rife with several allegations, reports and evidence of voter manipulation, disenfranchisement and rigging,[27] Obi announced that he would challenge the election results, stating that, "We won the election and we will prove it to Nigerians".[28][29]
As a result of the Pandora Papers leaks, the Premium Times reported on Obi's involvement in offshore companies in tax havens such as the British Virgin Islands and Barbados.[30] Obi appeared to have made shell companies in the 1990s with the Barbados-based Beauchamp Investments Limited and UK-based Next International (UK) Limited being tied back to Obi and his family.[31] This was before he held any political office in Nigeria.
Further reporting showed that in 2010 as well, Obi had Access International help him set up and manage Gabriella Investments Limited, a company in the British Virgin Islands named after Obi's daughter. One of the directors was also the director of a Belize-based shell company that was issued 50,000 shares in Gabriella Investments.
In 2017, Obi reorganized the company under the name PMGG Investments Limited and created a trust named The Gabriella Settlement, which became the sole shareholder in PMGG Investments Limited. Obi was not holding any political position at this time.
A Premium Times report claimed that Obi remained as director of Next International (UK) Limited while serving as Governor of Anambra State, which is in direct violation of Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act. In an interview with Arise News, Obi clarified that he resigned from all companies before taking office as Governor of Anambra State.[32]
The report also claimed that Obi's non-declaration of his offshore companies broke the Nigerian Constitution's provision that require public officers to declare all their properties, assets, and liabilities.[31] Obi stated that he did not break any laws and clarified that the accounts' money was accrued from his time as a businessman. The EFCC invited him for questioning in October 2021, after President Buhari directed all anti-corruption agencies to investigate those named in the leaks.[33][34][35]
