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 PREFACE

On the 25th of May, H.E. Mr Peter Obi broke the news of his
resignation from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) based
on conflict of values. There seemed to be some dampening of
spirit of his teeming supporters until he broke another news two
days later of joining the Labour Party of Nigeria (LP). He went
on to further contest and win the party’s presidential primaries.

Since then, the clamour in support of his presidential aspiration

has continued to soar astronomically.

Every time you search for Peter Obi on Facebook, it’s always
“Popular Now”; you go on Twitter and Peter is trending with
over 400k mentions everyday… But the naysayers have
mockingly called him Twitter President, dismissing his chances
of winning because he doesn’t have “structures”.

But the movement keeps growing, resulting in a general

heightened interest in the political happenings in the country.
As a result, many got to understand, for the first time, the

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corruption in the delegate system, and they are infuriated. They
want to take back their country.

The only way to give wind to their anger is to get their

Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) and make their voices heard
loud and clear on Election Day.

Even INEC attests to the “unprecedented surge in voter

registration” and more machines deployed.

The Labour Party is considered, by critics, a fringe party with

no structure, and deemed incapable of winning a presidential
election in Nigeria across 774 LGAs, and 176,974 polling units.

However, he has become the target of attacks from supporters

of the two big parties, who ordinarily should have ignored him
since he has no chance of winning. He has been scrutinized
more than even the incumbent President, and all 17 other
Presidential candidates put together. Why?

His light accentuates their darkness

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His speech irritates their demons

His example trumps their arguments

His acceptance exposes their rejection

His mission threatens their relevance

His movement scares them to death!

So, let’s look at the exceptional qualities of Peter Obi that has
made him shake the political space like no other. Maybe up and
coming politicians can learn from him.

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 1. UNASSUMING

“My concept of success is the measure to which a human

being commits to building a better society, and not the number
of vehicles he owns and the size of house he lives in. It is his
behaviour and conduct, and the fact that he does not perceive
himself as more important than others” – Peter Obi

A certain Nigerian pastor, Reverend Yinka Yusuf, boarded a

plane with Peter Obi, and as soon as they landed, the pastor’s
aide helped him carry his luggage, but he noticed Peter Obi
handling his luggage by himself. He was thrilled. He wondered
to himself how such a powerful man, a former Nigerian
Governor, would be so simple and humble. He felt embarrassed
for himself, and since then, he borrowed from the example of
Peter Obi’s humility and simplicity.

The same can be said of Dr Doyin Okupe, the DG of the Peter

Obi Campaign Organization. He confessed that by associating
with Obi in the last couple of months, he has imbibed his
simplicity towards life.

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But is there any value in such attribute? What is the philosophy
behind it, and how does this relate to governance?

To be unassuming means not to take yourself too seriously; it

is not desiring to always be seen and heard and put on a
pedestal; it is, according to Obi, not perceiving yourself “as
more important than others”. But it is a mindset, yes, it starts as
a mindset which translates into a personal attitude and
behaviour.

A lot of natural born leaders are very capable persons, and due
to their capabilities and talents, they attain heights of success
and achievements that many can only dream of. They gain a lot
of influence and affluence as a result.

Gradually, they’re tempted to begin to think of themselves as

SPECIAL species of human beings, and others as lesser. They
see themselves as inherently superior, and others as inherently
inferior. They see themselves as deserving better treatment, and
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others lesser treatment. Therefore, the laws and rules that apply
to others should not apply to them, so they think.

This is a human phenomenon and tendency that led to the

ancient philosophy of “divine right of kings”. Which is why
almost all ancient forms of government were feudal and
monarchical. Which is why slavery in various forms existed.

This is such a common human tendency that without strong

democratic systems, the default will be that of exploitation,
abuse of power, and misgovernance.

But this is where Peter Obi towers high amongst all Nigerian
politicians – though very privileged, he doesn’t see himself as
inherently superior and special to the masses he’s called to lead.
And quite paradoxically, that’s why he is special and much
loved.

This fanatical love for Obi scares the political establishment!

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 2. INTEGRITY

“I’ll rather lose doing the right thing than win doing the
wrong thing” – Peter Obi

This is perhaps the most abused word by politicians. Every

politician claims to be a person of integrity, but most are
exactly the opposite. So, what exactly is integrity? Let’s use an
illustration to properly understand it:

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) developed

a software payment solution called Universities Transparency
and Accountability Solution (UTAS) which needed to go
through “integrity tests” by the National Information
Technology and Development Agency (NITDA).

What were the integrity tests for?

The integrity tests by NITDA will check how predictably the

software produces results (acceptance test); it will check how
easy or difficult it is for it to be compromised or manipulated
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(vulnerability test); it will check whether it has the capacity to
manage loads of data (stress test).

A person of integrity is one who has core values and principles

he/she holds dear, and because of that, you can easily predict
the person’s behaviour or response in almost any given
situation.

Even when the person is in a vulnerable position or under

pressure, he/she will still not compromise.

A classic example is when Peter Obi visited the Adoration

Ground of Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka. Fr. Mbaka put pressure on
him to announce a donation to his ministry, but Peter Obi
refused, insisting that the priest should first show him the
project he needs him to support. Other politicians present had
already made their generous donations.

Obi refused to give in, risking being called stingy, because,

according to him, he is allergic to money being wrongly spent.
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He needed to be sure of what the money would be used for. He
did not budge, that’s integrity!

It is because of this that people trust Obi, and they believe his
every word and promise. The political establishment has lost
the trust of the masses, that’s why they are scared of the man
who has earned it!

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 3. FINANCIAL PRUDENCE

“I’m not stingy, I just have an allergy to money wrongly

spent” – Peter Obi

This is perhaps the most talked-about attribute of Mr Peter Obi.

It is what has earned him the qualification as being stingy by
his critics. Let us illustrate:

Before Obi came in as Governor, some monies had been

budgeted for the renovation of the Anambra State Government
House and Governor’s Lodge to the tune of N298 million and
N486 million respectively.

It was time for him to execute the project, but he took a critical
look at the cost of the project, and discovered that it was over
bloated. He cut down the former to N43 million and the latter
to N81 million – 84% combined reduction!

This of course stirred the angst of the lawmakers to institute an

impeachment process against him.
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Lady Bianca Odumegwu Ojukwu narrated the story of how Obi
visited with them in Dallas, Texas, for an event. Obi, who came
without an appropriate clothing for the event, was taken to a
boutique to choose something befitting for himself.

Bianca showed him a perfect match, a Tom Ford suit with a

price tag of 3,985 dollars. Obi refused to pay for what he termed
‘outrageous’ price, and ended up at Steinmart where he agreed
to pay a more acceptable price of 220 dollars for basic men’s
suit, which he eventually wore to the event.

But it didn’t end there. As Obi departed, he gave an envelope

to Bianca, which contained the approximate difference between
the prices of the suits. He said it was for her to do some charity,
through her Foundation, to those who truly needed it. Of course
such money was the miracle some people needed for their
challenges.

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With the opulence and financial recklessness we see in our
politicians, the coming of Obi is a breath of fresh air. The
people feel they can now have value for their commonwealth.

For this, the political establishment is scared of the emergence

of Obi, as he will remove the food from their tables and give it
back to the real owners, the people!

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 4. POLITICAL WILL

“I’m not desperate to be president, I’m desperate to see

Nigeria work” – Peter Obi

The above statement has often been made by Peter Obi. Many
may not really understand the full import of it, but it is the
foundation of successful leadership, and that is, a strong sense
of mission.

This strong sense of mission is what translates to political will

– which is the level of determination and willingness to see a
problem or challenge through, for where there is a will, there is
always a way.

There are three things you look out for to test political will –
sense of urgency, strength of focus, and length of perseverance.

Let’s now see how Obi has demonstrated political will using
three examples:

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When Obi was in office, he gave his phone number to all senior
prefects of all schools in Anambra State, and told them that they
could message him whenever they had a major challenge.

One day, a senior prefect messaged him concerning the poor

food they have been receiving. Immediately, Obi took his
Commissioner of Education and drove to the school
unannounced, to have lunch there.

Obi experienced first-hand what the quality and quantity of the

food was, and took immediate steps to solve it. Talk about
sense of urgency!

Shortly before Peter Obi left office as Anambra State Governor,

he met a renowned cardiac surgeon, Dr Joseph Nwilo who was
based in the United States.

He asked him to come back to Anambra and perform those

surgeries, and Dr Nwilo asked for a well-equipped hospital.

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Obi sat down with Dr Nwilo and the St. Joseph’s Hospital team,
and they came up with all the requirements and the cost thereof;
it was about 1 billion naira. Peter Obi wrote a cheque for the
money and work began in earnest.

By 3rd of August, 2014, 5 months after Obi had left office, the
first heart surgery was performed in St. Joseph’s hospital.

Obi has a high value for Human Development, and the health
sector is one of those key areas to invest in. Talk about strength
of focus!

Lastly, Obi’s mandate was stolen by the PDP in 2003

gubernatorial elections. Obi went to court to battle it out.
Before then, no politician has had electoral victory through the
courts, but Obi fought the legal battle for three whole years
before he won, making it the longest electoral victory through
the courts. Talk about length of perseverance!

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 5. ACCOUNTABILITY

“If you get every other thing right, and you get politics wrong,
you’ve gotten everything wrong. And the foundation of
getting politics right is about accountability” – Peter Obi

When Obi was about bowing out of office as Executive

Governor of Anambra State, he did two things:

He invited the EFCC and ICPC to come investigate his records

during his time as Governor.

He wrote a handover note to the incoming Governor detailing

the monies he left for him, and in the inauguration of his
successor, he called out the MDs of the banks where the monies
were kept if the claims he was making were true.

Accountability is simply answerability. It is being able, willing

and ready to give answers to questions that are asked, or may
be asked, concerning your life or your work.

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It is being proactive and responsive in setting the records
straight especially through frequent reports and interviews
respectively.

There is no politician in Nigeria today that has been more

willing and open to answering questions concerning his past
stewardship as Peter Obi. He willingly and readily makes
himself available for such.

This availability and answerability has made his message stick

more easily to the masses. For this, the politicians are scared
because their propaganda and lies are no longer having effect
on the masses!

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 6. DATA-DRIVEN

“Whatever you cannot measure, you cannot improve” – Peter

Obi

It is often said that the devil is in the details; those details are
in the numbers.

There is no Nigerian politician who talks and quotes copious

data and statistics like Peter Obi.

Now, get this clear, the economy is the mirror of politics and
governance. Whatever you’re doing right in your politics and
governance will reflect positively in economic indices.

If security, healthcare, and education, which are not direct

economic or commercial activities, are doing well, it will
reflect as a better economy – yes, the numbers will show it!

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Since you can only understand economics through numbers,
the man who knows and understands the numbers better will
definitely have a better grasp of the solutions.

Obi does this not only by studying through books, but by

physically visiting several countries where he has seen visible
progress in certain sectors, and he asks questions, taking note
of the numbers and doing comparative analysis with them to
gain insight.

As a result, the masses see him as the most competent candidate

to take Nigeria out of the woods since he knows exactly what
to do. Since no other candidate can match him in spewing facts
and figures, they’re intimidated and scared to their pants!

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 7. SELFLESSNESS

“It’s not going to be easy, but everybody has to sacrifice, just

as I’ve done in Anambra State” – Peter Obi

During his first term as Governor, Obi was given the privilege
to own his own bullet-proof vehicle. It would cost 500 million
naira. He thought to himself how he alone will gulp all that
money to get a car while many top civil servants in the State
don’t have their own official cars. What did he do?

He went ahead and ordered 100 cars at 3 million naira each,

and gave to all Judges in the State, and other top civil servants.

He also drove one of those cars, which of course was not bullet-
proof. He sacrificed his own safety and security and comfort so
that many more can have a better life.

After leaving office, an Anambra State Governor is entitled to

many benefits, including pension of 100% basic salary of
incumbent, new cars, houses, and other sundry allowances and
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emoluments. Obi has refused to collect any of those benefits till
date. Such selflessness!

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 8. PRIORITIZATION

“Progress is a question of observing what others are doing

right and going in that direction” – Peter Obi

For most Nigerian Governors, once they build impressive

flyovers, bridges, airports and buildings, they are very proud to
be called “performing Governor”. But Peter Obi knows better,
and according to him “leaders must invest in education, health,
and pull people out of poverty”. Therein lies Obi’s order of
priority, and he walks the talk.

Obi narrated how he went to China in the early 90s and he

didn’t see impressive infrastructure, but he noticed that within
the unimpressive buildings, there was quality education going
on there. He saw that China focused on education and building
of their human capacity.

Armed with this understanding, Obi made education one of his

topmost priorities in Anambra State. He understood that for

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there to be prosperity and progress of his people, the human
mind must be developed.

Obi’s investment in education made Anambra to move from

number 26 to number 1 in academic performance in Nigeria.

Another understanding that Obi has is this: he knows that the

engine of economic growth and prosperity is the micro and
small scale enterprise. So what did he do? He made sure all the
rural areas gained access to the urban areas so that they could
sell their goods, and then supported them financially.

Today, Anambra has the most extensive road network in

Nigeria, and during Obi’s time, Anambra had the least poverty
rate.

Based on his studies and unusual insight, Obi sets his priority
right and devotes resources in the order of such priorities. This
is a mark of successful leadership!

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 9. PEACE MAKER

“When my mandate was stolen, I didn’t quarrel, I went to

court. When I was impeached, I didn’t quarrel with anybody,
I also went to court” – Peter Obi

It is no news that the waters of politics is murky, and the slope

slippery. Politics is where you find all forms of slander,
betrayals, backbiting, horse-trading, lying, intimidation,
propaganda, misrepresentations etc.

However, like no other politician has done, Obi has never

quarrelled with all those who have wronged him in diverse
ways. Sometimes, he even speaks well of them in a respectful
manner. This is very unusual.

But as a result, Obi has been able to bridge gaps, settle conflicts
and make peace wherever he finds himself. The Labour Party
had warring factions before Obi joined, but shortly afterwards,
he was able to bring all to work together in peace and harmony.

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This exceptional quality of Obi disarms even his fiercest
enemies and critics, and since they have no words to trade with
him, they then accuse his followers. However, it has only
helped Obi gain more admiration and affection. This scares the
opposition politicians!

THE END

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