Anthony Obi Ogbo
Peter Obi’s “holier than thou” campaign tactic is self-dramatizing folly, not a strategy
Currently, he is merely romancing party cliques and showcasing his self-canonized sainthood.
All over his campaign literature and everywhere on social media, a Nigerian upcoming presidential aspirant, Peter Obi, has been touting his moderate lifestyle and honest decision-making aptitude as qualifications for his candidacy. Most Nigerians, especially his supporters, are very excited and are beginning to worship these values as a devotional creed.
The first promotional story to showcase Obi’s moderate lifestyle came in 2017, shortly after his tenure as the governor of Anambra state when he claimed that he had only one wristwatch, which he wore for 17 years. Obi, who was speaking at an event in Lagos, also claimed that he had two pairs of black shoes that he traveled with always. According to Obi, “The purpose of the shoe is to protect the leg from being hurt. Nothing else.” He further gestured, “The purpose of a watch is to keep time. Why would I keep a watch at home? Whose time is it keeping?”
Since then, Obi and his camp have been feeding the voting block with various “holier than thou” tales to distinguish him from his corrupt political colleagues and exonerate him from a system inundated with the highest levels of corruption. To promote the narrative of Obi’s humble and altruistic approach to economic matters, his camp tells of how he would choose a motel over a five-star hotel; how he would fly in economy over business class; and funnier still, how he would go for dinner at a filthy roadside bukateria instead of an expensive restaurant.
As I write, Obi’s camp is busy on social media telling and tagging more self-indulgent stories about his immaculate personality. Just recently, his enthusiasts floated the news on social media that his daughter got married without media ads, private jets, and money-spraying fanfares!
Major questions remain—what is his actual agenda for fixing a completely broken nation?
We must not forget that most Nigerians once embraced a presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, over similar gestures. His social media warriors fed disappointed masses with some worthless cock-and-bull tales about his moral civility and presented him as a fiscally astute conservative who would curb corruption and appropriately manage the country’s economic and financial resources.
Remember when the APC claimed President Buhari’s predecessor, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, presented a billion-naira budget for delegates’ lunch, for which Buhari the “good money-manager” declined any expenses, saying that his transition team would bring their own lunch? Or how, during his trip to South Africa, Buhari paid the hotel bills for his staff and asked the rest of the entourage to pay their bills?
As humans, or perhaps as leaders, we should not regard an ethical lifestyle as an achievement worthy of reward or an Oscar, because ethical behavior ought to be expected. It is news only when individuals lack morality in their capacity to lead.
Please do not get me wrong. Leadership and behavior cannot be separated. Behavioral values, as related to one’s traits and comportment, can augment the basis for leadership effectiveness. In fact, at a fundamental level, there are five factors of transformational leadership, namely: idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration, which are all tied to leaders’ habits. In other words, it takes a moral leader to successfully lead a moral society.
However, in political governance, situational and contingency challenges play a major role in transformational success; both approaches focus on situations, and both concepts hold different expectations of leaders. In the situational approach, the leader should adapt to the prevailing situation, whereas the contingency concept requires the right leader to match the right situation.
Frankly, looking through decades of corruption in all sectors of Nigerian politics, there are no innocent elected politicians. At this moment in Nigeria’s political history, prospective candidates could focus on prevailing situational and contingency challenges rather than their moral propensities.
Getting there might require specific strategies and competencies completely different from his current self-aggrandizing, “saintly” approach.
Obi is a smart candidate—a compassionate conservative moderate who could adjust to any situational and contingency demands to deliver transformational excellence. He could lead Nigeria more effectively if given a chance. Those are his strengths. However, getting there might require specific strategies and competencies completely different from his current self-aggrandizing, “saintly” approach.
His weaknesses could pose an insurmountable obstacle. Initially, he projected himself as a tribal leader during and shortly after his governorship tenure, and that may come back to haunt him. For example, his handling of the deportation of Igbos around 2013 by the Lagos State government, led by Babatunde Fashola, backfired after he was said to have referred to Lagos as “no man’s land.” Without a doubt, the deportation of 72 allegedly destitute Igbos to Onitsha was a bad move.
Even as Governor Fashola acknowledged this and offered an unreserved apology for the confusion that preceded his actions, most politicians in the southwest took advantage of the situation to attack Obi’s relationship with this region. Femi Fani-Kayode, a former federal minister and politician, wrote: “The claim that the Igbo helped to develop Lagos is hogwash. The major institutions of the southwest were developed by the diligence, hard work, industry, and sweat of the Yoruba people. This is a historical fact.”
The All Progressives Congress (APC) also accused Obi of “threatening the unity of the country” by “playing politics with the deportation”. Others projected Obi as a hypocrite because, equally, he deported citizens to Akwa-Ibom and Ebonyi States in 2011 from his state, Anambra.
Another impediment that could weaken Obi’s candidacy may be connected with the revelation of his secret international business dealings through the Pandora Papers project. Obi became a familiar figure to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission after an investigation revealed that he had several secret business dealings and relationships including some he clandestinely set up and operated overseas, including notorious tax and secrecy havens that breached Nigerian law.
Obi’s electability might also depend on how Igbo politicians can mobilize their region in the ongoing registration exercise. Eligible Igbo voters are just not registering, and this could pose a damaging threat to any Igbo candidate. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), attributed the low turnout of eligible voters to insecurity and fear. It may also be attributed to the damaging effects of the Indigenous People of Biafra’s (IPOB) frequent acts of violence in enforcing the sit-at-home order.
To further threaten his chances of becoming president, the devastating demonstrations, violent threats, and demands of some pro-separatist ethnic Igbos, especially the IPOB, have provoked fears among the northern region, who are least likely to support any Igbo President en masse.
Looking across the electoral map, Obi would need more support from people in the northern and western regions, who have better voting numbers and are more politically involved than his Igbo kinsmen, who are currently saddled with both low registration and participation. Currently, the No-Biafra-No-Election mantra is still trending.
To persevere in his quest for the presidency, Obi must exhibit a good knowledge of the political environment encompassing both the regional stakeholders and all the geopolitical zones. The “holier than thou” campaign tactic is a self-aggrandizing exercise in idiocy, not a strategy. Currently, he is merely romancing party cliques and showcasing his self-canonized sainthood.
He could still turn things around by presenting his core cognitive, emotional, and interpersonal competencies as strategies to attract trust from non-Igbo party stakeholders and voters.
Yet, there are still issues: his challenges transcend the current amplification of his choice of shoes, watches, motels, or restaurants. Strategies must focus on addressing the aforementioned challenges. How will he mobilize his people to register? How does he intend to win the trust of regions currently skeptical about electing an Igbo president? How will he explain his past transgressions? How does his proclaimed moderate lifestyle dovetail with his several secret business dealings revealed through the Pandora Papers project? #
♦Publisher of the Guardian News, Professor Anthony Obi Ogbo, Ph.D. is on the Editorial Board of the West African Pilot News. He is the author of the Influence of Leadership (2015) and the Maxims of Political Leadership (2019). Contact: anthony@guardiannews.us
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“The scepter of criminal law is permanently blind to human compassion, emotions, or interests. Making Trump and his cronies pay dearly for their crimes is justified, at the least, in terms of deterrence and retribution,” —Anthony Ogbo
Thursday, former President Donald Trump was booked on charges that he conspired to overturn the results of Georgia’s 2020 presidential election. His mugshot quickly turned into a piece of illustrious image canonized by the rightwing media and glorified like a martyr of political persecution. In less than two hours after Trump’s booking, his mug shot was already a hot cake.
His joint fundraising committee sold T-shirts, mugs, beverage coolers, bumper stickers, and other merchandise featuring his booking photo.
There were also reports that Trump and his team literally strategized on how to turn this historically horrible event into an image-hyping and money-spinning bonanza. They had a discussion as to what the mug shot would look like. Trump reportedly wanted to look “defiant” to justify his claims of a politically motivated witch-hunt. In fact, in a fundraising email, Trump said he “walked into the lion’s den with one simple message on behalf of our entire movement: I will never surrender our mission to save America.”
So, what exactly are Trump and his Republican Party devotees celebrating? – Conspiring to attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election? Criminals should not be celebrated!
Charges against Trump are very serious. He was indicted on 13 counts of criminal felonies, including an alleged violation of Georgia’s Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (Rico). The racketeering charge alone carries a maximum 20-year jail sentence; making false statements carries a penalty of between one to five years in prison or a fine, and a person convicted of first-degree criminal solicitation to commit election fraud will face between one to three years in jail. The charges revolve around Trump’s and 18 co-defendants’ efforts to overturn the will of the voters and interfere with the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Therefore, it might be a self-damaging miscalculation if Trump and his team believe these charges would help his campaign. It is understandable that the MAGA confederacy stands behind his transgressions, but America thinks otherwise. For instance, a new POLITICO Magazine/Ipsos poll provides some negative figures likely to take a toll on his general election prospects. The findings are not encouraging at all on his part
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- Most Americans believe Trump should stand trial before the 2024 election
- About half of the country believes Trump is guilty in the pending prosecutions
- A conviction in DOJ’s 2020 election case would hurt Trump in the general election
- Half of the country believes Trump should go to prison if convicted in DOJ’s Jan. 6 case
- Fifty-nine percent of respondents — including nearly two-thirds of independents — said that the Justice Department’s decision to indict Trump in the 2020 election case was based on a fair evaluation of the evidence and the law.
But the scepter of criminal law is permanently blind to human compassion, emotions, or interests. Making Trump and his cronies pay dearly for their crimes is justified, at the least, in terms of deterrence and retribution. The law must act in full force, to deter prospective offenders from following Trump’s amoral and criminal standards. Besides, this process would enhance faith in law enforcement and the government that the criminal procedure is works effectively.
Finally, we must note that former presidents or top government officials are not Jesus. They are humans, and they are average citizens. From Jacob Zuma, a former president of South Africa; Silvio Berlusconi, former Italian Prime Minister; Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and many others, top leaders who left office have been jailed or prosecuted in several countries — including in major democratic jurisdictions. The relevance is that the laws apply equally to all citizens. Donald Trump and his coup-plotting ensemble are no exceptions.
♦ Publisher of the Guardian News, Anthony Obi Ogbo, Ph.D. is a visiting professor at the Texas Southern University. He is on the Editorial Board of the West African Pilot News, and the author of the Influence of Leadership (2015) and the Maxims of Political Leadership (2019). Contact: anthony@guardiannews.us
- At UN, African leaders say enough is enough: They must be partnered with, not sidelined - September 25, 2023
- Mark Meadows burned so many documents before leaving the White House - September 25, 2023
- President Macron says France will end its military presence in Niger, pull its ambassador after coup - September 25, 2023
- At UN, African leaders say enough is enough: They must be partnered with, not sidelined - September 25, 2023
- Mark Meadows burned so many documents before leaving the White House - September 25, 2023
- President Macron says France will end its military presence in Niger, pull its ambassador after coup - September 25, 2023
“It is unlawful to challenge a statute by arrogantly violating it. Moreover, it is insensitive to use the needy as a shield for a pugnacious political vendetta”
—Anthony Ogbo
So, this motorist wanted to drop a token for the panhandler. He stopped abruptly in the middle of a bustling intersection while the traffic light was green. This resulted in the near collision of multiple vehicles. Furthermore, he blocked a lane while the panhandler reluctantly walked up. It was a mess. Obviously, there is nothing wrong with giving to roadside beggars, but how, when, and where people do this matters—especially when it constitutes risks and lawlessness.
The above-referenced real-world analogy illustrates the over-published feud between the City of Houston and Food Not Bombs, a volunteer group that feeds the homeless. For the last 15 years, Food Not Bombs has been serving the homeless outside the Houston Public Library downtown, dishing out vegetarian meals four nights a week at this location by the corner of McKinney and Smith streets. However, on March 1, the group received a citation from the City of Houston for violating a city ordinance.
This ordinance was actually enacted in 2012 under the previous regime of Mayor Annise Parker. The law makes it “unlawful for any organization or individual to sponsor or conduct a food service event on public or private property without the advance written consent of the public or private property owner or other individual with lawful control of the property.”
Food Not Bombs is not permitted to hold its distribution outside the library. It might be understandable that the volunteer group may have initially violated this law because it was unaware of the regulation. But what might be underhandedly political is why they remained in that location, proudly collecting multiple citations from the city, shedding crocodile tears, and using them to generate cheap publicity and attention from the mainstream media.
Currently, Food Not Bombs spends more time documenting and litigating violation tickets than the very cause they are supposed to be undertaking. On August 3, eight of the 47 tickets were dismissed because the HPD officers that issued them did not show up for court. The group vowed to fight, but the city insisted on its enforcement. In its release, the city maintained that it “intends to vigorously pursue violations of its ordinance relating to the feeding of the homeless,” vowing to “refile cases dismissed without prejudice.”
From all indications, Food Not Bombs does not like this ordinance, but rather than challenge it lawfully, it chose a civil disobedience route. Even as the city offered it an alternate location less than half a mile away to hold their feedings, the group stubbornly decided not to move.
During an August 8 City Council meeting, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said the city doesn’t have an issue with volunteers feeding the unhoused population but does have a problem with it being at the Central Library. According to Mayor Turner, “Can we provide food for those who need assistance and also maintain the library for the greater community, even those who are homeless, to utilize those services? The answer is yes.… You just don’t have the right to choose where you want to be at the expense of everybody else in the city. So, the citations will continue because you can’t just do this and then try to engage in a PR campaign to make it seem like the city is being insensitive to those who are homeless. No, that is not the case.”
Mayor Turner was absolutely right about the intent. The whole thing is a PR operation by radicals hiding under a charitable cause to promote tasteless conspiracies against the local government. Only a fool will buy that theory – that the city is insensitive to the homeless. These laws are not meant to discourage or criminalize kindness but to protect general safety, and guarantee the rights of citizens against abuses by other people, organizations, and the government.
There are many ways to protest local ordinances, and trading a charitable cause for civil disobedience is not one of them. Justice is not stupid. Indeed, it is unlawful to challenge a statute by arrogantly violating it. Moreover, it is insensitive to use the homeless as a shield for a pugnacious political vendetta.
♦ Publisher of the Guardian News, Anthony Obi Ogbo, Ph.D. is a visiting professor at the Texas Southern University. He is on the Editorial Board of the West African Pilot News, and the author of the Influence of Leadership (2015) and the Maxims of Political Leadership (2019). Contact: anthony@guardiannews.us
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- Mark Meadows burned so many documents before leaving the White House - September 25, 2023
- President Macron says France will end its military presence in Niger, pull its ambassador after coup - September 25, 2023
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