Peter Obi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Peter Obi
CON
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| Governor of Anambra State | |
| In office 14 June 2007 – 17 March 2014 |
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| Preceded by | Andy Uba |
| Succeeded by | Willie Obiano |
| In office 9 February 2007 – 29 May 2007 |
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| Preceded by | Virginia Etiaba |
| Succeeded by | Andy Uba |
| In office 17 March 2006 – 2 November 2006 |
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| Preceded by | Chris Ngige |
| Succeeded by | Virginia Etiaba |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Peter Gregory Onwubuasi Obi
19 July 1961 Onitsha, Eastern Region, Nigeria (now in Anambra State) |
| Political party | Labour Party (since 2022) |
| Other political affiliations |
All Progressives Grand Alliance (2002–2014) People's Democratic Party (before 2002; 2014–2022) |
| Spouse |
Margaret Brownson Obi (née Usen)
(m. 1992) |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater |
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| Occupation |
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Peter Gregory Onwubuasi Obi CON (Igbo: [òbí]; born 19 July 1961) is a Nigerian politician, statesman, political activist and business executive. He served twice as the Governor of Anambra State from 2006 to 2010, and a second term until 2014.
Born in Onitsha, Anambra State, Obi had his secondary education at Christ the King College, Onitsha and tertiary at the University of Nigeria in 1984. After his education, he entered banking and business. By 2000, he chaired Fidelity Bank before joining full-time politics. Obi contested for the Governorship of Anambra State in 2003 under All Progressives Grand Alliance but lost to Chris Ngige. In 2006 he was declared the governor and assumed office in March of same month, and shortly into his office, Obi was impeached in November by the judiciary, and after it was overturned, he returned to office in February 2007. Again, he was removed from office after the Anambra State Governorship election in 2007, but the judiciary intervened for his second term which he did until 2014.
Obi decamped to the Peoples Democratic Party. In 2019, he was the selected vice presidential candidate for the 2019 Nigerian general election along Atiku Abubakar. In 2022, Obi ran for president along Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed as the vice presidential candidate under the Labour Party in Nigeria. Though lost the section, Obi's campaign has been described as populist especially with the legacy of firing a group of 'Obidients'. Obi has received several awards from his political roles, amongst them the 'Man of the Year' by The Sun in 2007.
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Early life and education
Obi was born on 19 July 1961 in Onitsha, Anambra State, part of Southeastern Nigeria to a devout Christian family of Igbo descent. Obi attended Christ the King College, Onitsha, where he completed his secondary school education and further went to the University of Nigeria, Nsukka in 1980 where he earned his BA (Hons) in Philosophy in 1984.
After his education, he began working in private establishments in Nigeria. He served Next International Nigeria Ltd. He became the Chairman and Director of Guardian Express Mortgage Bank, Guardian Express Bank Plc, Future View Securities Ltd, Paymaster Nigeria Ltd, Chams Nigeria Ltd, Data Corp Ltd and Card Centre Ltd. He was regarded as the youngest chairman of Fidelity Bank Nigeria.
Political career
In 2003, Obi contested for the Anambra State Governorship Election as the primary candidate for the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and after the election, lost to his counterpart Chris Ngige of the People's Democratic Party (PDP). After three years of litigation, Ngige's victory was overturned by the Court of Appeal in 2006, and Obi took back the office on 17 March 2006. After seven months, he was impeached by the Anambra State House of Assembly, led by the Speaker Mike Balonwu, and was replaced by Virginia Etiaba who was his deputy. Obi successfully challenged his impeachment and was re-instated as the governor on 9 February 2007, by the Court of Appeal in Enugu.
After the May 2007 declaration of Andy Uba by the electoral body, Obi handed over the office, but returned with charges contending that the four-year tenure he had won in the 2003 election only started to run when he took office in March 2006. On 14 June 2007, Supreme Court of Nigeria upheld Obi's contention and returned him to office. This brought to an abrupt end the tenure of Andy Uba, whose governorship was nullified on the grounds that Obi's four-year tenure should have remained undisturbed until March 2010. On 7 February 2010, INEC declared Obi the winner of the 2010 Anambra State gubernatorial election defeating Charles Soludo. On 17 March 2014, Obi handed over the office to his successor, Willie Obiano. After leaving office in 2014, Obi gained new status as "an advocate for good governance" and national political figure after decamping to the Peoples Democratic Party in 2014.
After the 2015 General Election, President Goodluck Jonathan appointed Obi as the chairman of the Nigerian Security and Exchange Commission (SEC). On 12 October 2018, Obi was named as the running mate to Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party's Presidential Candidate in the 2019 presidential election. Obi opposed proposals for a standardized national minimum wage, arguing that different states should have different minimum wages. The Abubakar/Obi ticket came second.
Presidential candidacy
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. According to the Nigerian newspaper Peoples Gazette, Peter Obi wrote to the leaders of PDP on 24 May to resign his membership. He 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.
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 candidacy. Obi has expressed admiration for the French President, Emmanuel Macron and was among the officials who received him during his visit to Lagos.
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. Aisha Yesufu, a prominent activist noted as the cofounder of the #BringBackOurGirls movement and a supporter of the End SARS campaign, endorsed Obi in her first-ever endorsement of a presidential candidate.
Young supporters of Obi's campaign were generally called the "Obidients", which was coined from his name "Obi". In a Business Day opinion article, Chikwurah Isiguzo argued that:
[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." 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. 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.
Obiageli Ezekwesili, a former Minister of Education in Nigeria, stated that Nigerian women are more inclined toward the potential presidency of Obi in an interview with Channels TV.
Selection of running mate
Physician Doyin Okupe initially was the temporary running mate of Obi until a substantive candidate could be selected. 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.
On 8 July 2022, Obi unveiled his running mate, Senator for Kaduna North Senatorial District Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed. Speaking on his choice of the vice presidential candidate, he stated:
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.
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. 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, Obi announced that he would challenge the election results, stating that, "We won the election and we will prove it to Nigerians".
Views
National security
As a candidate, Obi has publicly demanded that the federal government name individuals responsible for financing terrorism and oil theft in Nigeria. In 2020, Obi expressed support for the End SARS social movement against police brutality.
Women's issues
Obi is a feminist, and has stated that "he believes women are less prone to corruption in public office than men, and his gubernatorial staff were predominantly women". He has criticized the term, being the First Lady of Nigeria, stating
It was not my wife that was voted in but me. The Ministry of Women Affairs is enough to take good care of women.
In commemoration of International African Women's Day, Obi stated: "In Nigeria, we advocate continually greater women participation in leadership, nation-building and society, which begins with unfettered social inclusion, gender mainstreaming and empowerment."
Awards and honours
Selected awards:
- The Sun's Man of the Year (2007)
- This Day's Most Prudent Governor in Nigeria (2009)
- Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's Best Performing Governor on Immunization in South-East Nigeria (2012)
- Silverbird's Man of the Year (2013)
- Distinguished Alumnus Award - Lagos Business School Alumni Association (LBSAA) (2014)
- Nigerian Library Association's Golden Merit Award (2014)
- Pontifical Equestrian Order of Saint Sylvester Pope and Martyr (2014)
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Onitsha's Golden Jubilee Award (2015)
- This Day's Governor of the Decade (2020)
- Leadership Excellence Award's Man of the Year (2022)
Personal life
Obi is a practicing Catholic. He is married to Margaret Brownson Obi (née Usen) since 1992 and they have two children.
See also
In Spanish: Peter Obi para niños
- List of governors of Anambra State
- List of Igbo people
