What Peter Obi Must Learn from Bola Ahmed Tinubu

I write this with sincerity and clarity. As a committed member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), I will support the party’s eventual flag bearer. However, my support for His Excellency Atiku Abubakar remains firm and non-negotiable, and it does not diminish my respect for other choices. That is democracy. Politics in Nigeria is not powered by emotion, it is shaped by strategy. This is the lesson Peter Obi must learn from Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

When Tinubu knew that he had issues with the North, and he also had a future presidential ambition, he did not force that ambition. He calculated well and decided to align with late Muhammadu Buhari, not out of love for Nigeria, Buhari or the North, but out of strategy. He understood that Buhari was his pathway. That alliance was a clear political investment, a quid pro quo between two heavyweights. Tinubu needed the North, and he knew it. He waited, built trust, and when the time came, the North paid back. Without that support, his presidency would have remained a distant dream.

That is the uncomfortable truth Peter Obi needs to be told: power in Nigeria is built on bridges. Today, the North is still largely unconvinced about Peter Obi, that is the truth, wallahi. This may be debated, but it cannot be ignored. Popularity alone cannot replace national acceptance.

No national figure in Nigeria today has more consistently demonstrated the willingness and commitment to inclusively carry the South-East along, correcting historical imbalances and rewriting its political narrative than Atiku Abubakar. It is therefore worth asking: why should the South-East hesitate to seize this opportunity? If Obi truly seeks to lead Nigeria, he must consider restrategising. He must be willing to serve, to learn, and to build trust with the North.

In practical terms, Atiku Abubakar should be his bridge and stepping stone. Deputizing him is not defeat at all, it is strategy. It is the same path Tinubu took, using a stronger national figure as a stepping stone to the presidency. This is not about sentiment, it is about calculation. Leadership at this level demands patience, alliances, and timing. If Peter Obi learns this and applies it, his moment will come. He also has to make himself available around associates who are ready to tell him what he might not wants to hear, the uncomfortable truth. If not, he risks remaining a compelling candidate without a clear winning pathway. To those modified Democrats chanting “Obi or nothing”, I wish them the best of luck.

Dr. Sani Sa’idu Baba,
Kano State.