By ABRAHAM OGBODO

Peter Obi has worked himself into a box of control instruments. He is the barometer with which pressure on the presidency is measured. He is also the thermometer for gauging the heat on Aso Rock. But in instances where pressure and temperature manage to remain constant, Peter Obi mutates and assumes the instrumentality of a wind vane to track direction and say if the presidency is either on course or rudderless. When Presidential spokespersons begin to mention Peter Obi in conversations at alarming frequency and more than they mention their principal and programmes of the APC government, do know that the pressure, temperature and calls for a clear direction are mounting in Aso Rock Villa.

These people do not have any cogent reason, as such, to mention Peter Obi so frequently. The man is like you and me. The only difference, perhaps, is that he contested the last presidential election in 2023 and failed. He and his Labour party came third in the result returned by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). He is not even the main opposition figure, going by that record. That position belongs to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar who ranked second in the result. But in searching for a major enemy to deal with, the APC and the presidency have remained focused on Peter Obi. And their only reason for doing so is that Peter Obi is not playing by the rules of the game. He behaves as if he is from Mars. He is a Nigerian politician but talks and acts as if he is practising politics in Sweden or any of these upscale Scandinavian countries in Northern Europe.

Truth be told, Peter Obi is at a moral and ethical crossroads. He is in coven and wise preachers do not preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ in coven. They do so in churches and synagogues or in open crusades. As it is, the only way out for Mr. Obi is to act less than himself. That is, to unlearn and come to terms with a new personality that negates his essence. He has to be recreated into a Nigerian practising politician who appropriates the common heritage as a personal estate. His colleagues should feel at home with him. Right now, Peter Obi is standing out too much like the Rock of Gibraltar. The system does feel at home with him.

That is not how politics is practised in Nigeria. Even though he had been a governor of a state, Peter Obi can still be mentored to fit. There are many training and finishing schools of politics around where he can hone his skills. There is the BAT School of Politics. Nyesom Wike Academy of Politics is another. Ganduje International School of Politics where fees are received only in American dollars is yet another. These ones operate at the advance level. At the intermediate level, are the Oshiomhole Institute of Political Oratory and Atiku Abubakar Academy for Presidential Elections. Recommended textbooks include Grab and Run by Bola Ahmed Tinubu, ABC of Stomach Infrastructure by Ayo Fayose, and Go To Court by Godswill Akpabio. A structured or even a crash programme in any of these schools may prove helpful to Peter Obi.

If candidate Obi, due to overarching commitments, is unable to appear in person and in actual location for training, a home service can be arranged with seasoned tutors and authors to prepare him for initiation. Uzo Orji Kalu, for instance, teaches very well the Nigerian brand of politics. So also is Alhaji Rabiu Kwakwanso. The outcomes are assured. In the end, Peter Obi will have been initiated into coven and shall stop talking and acting like an outsider. He shall stop reeling out statistics of virtuous engagements and impact as a public servant and asking his listeners to go and verify his claims and establish the truth independently.

After initiation, the man would be more concerned about negotiating with Government House, Awka, on how to earn his fat pension as a former governor of Anambra State and cook up narratives to keep the EFCC running in circles. He would be attending birthday parties in Rolls-Royce and drinking 40-year-old vintage whisky. He would become a godfather like Wike and Oshiomhole and not a philanthropist that is hopping from one displaced persons? camp to another, donating cash and relief items to unfortunate victims of the insensitivity of the Nigerian state. A Monday Okpebholo in Edo State or that politician Reverend Father in Benue State would not have any reason to declare him persona non grata. It is all Peter?s fault. While his fellow ex-governors upped their games to become godfathers, he chose to deny wealth and power acquisition for even more than three times and opt for teaching of moral education.

That said, I wish to note that the whole thing about the Obidient Movement is how Peter Obi can be admitted into the devilishly guarded ruling class without losing character. On the opposing side, the entire process of electioneering has been reduced to one content?MR PETER OBI. His factor determines the momentum. His fear too is the beginning of political wisdom. The ovation depends on his location. He is not limited by jurisdiction. In APGA, PDD and Labour Party, he had maintained a steady rise. The grace moves with him anywhere he goes. His latest anchor is the ADC Coalition where his entry has precipitated a traction that the rulers are finding difficult to ignore. Peter Obi has single-handedly rewritten the rules to push competence and character above corruption and manipulation in rating for political leadership. And this achievement is not going down well with so many people.

Following my outing last week on A Coalition and Its Many Tendencies, I was approached by a reporter to state the other things, outside what is known, that Peter Obi could do to make himself inevitable in the 2027 permutations. I sincerely do not know what else Peter Obi can do outside what he has done and is doing that can come as an added advantage. He has become a prisoner to his own standards. That, actually, is the problem. The road he has taken is very rough and crooked. It takes divine courage to travel on that path. Yet a detour unto the road that looks smooth and straightforward shall spell instant destruction to Peter Obi?s brand.

That is the dilemma. Even the prospect of an alliance where Peter Obi would play second fiddle to a principal, as it was the case in 2019, is not in contemplation. The forces called ?Obidients? that define the Peter Obi moment, do not seem ready to settle for anything less than the ultimate trophy in the game ahead. Thus, even if in the end Peter is willing, the body that drives his politics is unwilling. They are simply telling him to fight to martyrdom like the apostle that he is. For now, PBAT and the APC control all the strategic advantages; summarised as incumbency factor. It is the factor that could cause glitches and hitches and even stitches in INEC?s operations when it matters most. It could also force the security forces into an alignment to look away when things spin out of alignment. It is a factor that could cause the judiciary to elevate the altar of technicalities to high heavens and reduce jurisprudence to just procedural law.

It is not as if Peter Obi is completely exposed or vulnerable to the vagaries. He enjoys good tactical cover. He has the numbers and the will to step into battle. This is why if all the variables remain equal, 2027 does not promise to be a tea party. Incumbency also means unlimited resources that Obi and his Obidients can hardly match. Even in a tactical deployment, strategic planning is crucial too. A key strategy is for the Obedients to monetise their numbers and willpower. For planning purposes, it could be projected that one quarter of the over 200 million Nigerians are aligned with Peter Obi. That is 50 million Nigerians who are Obidients. It is also possible to secure an average contribution of N10,000 per Obidient to the campaign fund. This translates to a secured N500 billion fund. It can even be doubled to reach a trillion naira mark. It is like the last fight in a Chinese movie and so people must be prepared to throw in everything.

Remember also that Peter Obi does not give shi shi. He runs on a self-motivated crowd of skilled young people who have decided to work for their future. They offer happily free services to the Obidient Movement. Where others use money to achieve results, Obidients apply voluntarism to secure better results. If the other side, for instance, bribes a policeman to gain an advantage, the Obidients would police the policeman to cancel the unfair advantage. Therefore, backed by their numbers and willpower, a coalition anchored by Peter Obi can match the near-infinite resources and capabilities of the champion with just N500 billion.

Even so, it must be accepted that the ADC conspiracy is still troubled with working out a winning formula. It is possible to take out Caesar but Brutus must be convinced to come on board with the conspirators. I intend writing a personal letter to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar next week. (Nigerian Tribune)

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