Sam Amadi, director of the Abuja School of Social and Political Thought, has questioned Peter Obi’s ability to manage a Nigerian political organisation, saying the former presidential candidate may lack the political skills required to navigate the country’s political system.
Amadi made the remarks during an interview on Arise TV on Friday, where he described what he called a deep dissonance between Obi’s political approach and the realities of Nigerian politics.
He argued that the disconnect could make it difficult for the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate to manage the competing interests and expectations of politicians within the party.
“So the point I’m saying is, yes, Peter Obi’s political management capabilities may not be sufficiently good enough to manage Nigerian politics. That’s a big issue,” Amadi said.
He added that Obi might struggle to run a conventional Nigerian political organisation because of differences between his approach and the country’s political culture.
“People forget that dissonance. So Peter is not capable. Peter cannot run a typical Nigerian political organisation.
“He knows that. Again, Peter is a minimalist. But if he can just sneak through this, he doesn’t have to open the whole place,” he said.
Commenting on the departure of some prominent members of the Obidient Movement from Obi’s political camp, Amadi described many of them as activists who viewed the former Anambra State governor as a platform for achieving their political ambitions.
“Most of the guys who got on this are not our comrades. They are not people who had a commitment. They are people who were activists; they saw a big show, and they went there. You were a vehicle via which they were going to get to a destination,” he said.
Amadi argued that some of the defectors were leaving not necessarily because of fundamental disagreements with Obi but because they believed the political opportunities they sought could not be achieved through his leadership.
“Many of these guys are not leaving because there’s a fundamental disagreement with Peter Obi. It’s also because the career path, the strategic advantage they want to get, he can’t offer them,” he added.
One of the prominent figures to leave Obi’s political camp is Yunusa Tanko, former national coordinator of the Obidient Movement, who recently moved from the NDC to the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
Tanko was subsequently appointed coordinator of the SDP’s presidential campaign.
Explaining his departure, Tanko said he experienced what he described as a betrayal of trust and loyalty within Obi’s camp.
The former Obidient leader said he appreciated the opportunity to serve Obi but could no longer remain in a political organisation where he felt his contributions were not valued.
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