Peter Obi Has No Plan, Only Slogans

…And Nigeria Is Not A Social Media Comment Section

By Fattykolly Ibn Alimi
When I saw Datti Baba-Ahmed speak, I did not celebrate. I sighed. Because finally, someone from inside the house has said what some of us have been saying outside for two years while being insulted as enemies of progress.

Datti Baba-Ahmed, Peter Obi’s own running mate, the man who stood shoulder to shoulder with him in 2023, who defended him on every TV station, has finally said it:

“Peter Obi has no plan.”

Not my words. His words.

On 31st January 2024, according to Vanguard and InfoStride, Datti looked at Peter Obi face to face and told him: “Sir, I need you to have a plan, and you don’t have it. At least I haven’t heard from you.”

And when Seun Okinbaloye asked him if any of the leading candidates including Peter Obi can fix Nigeria, Datti answered without blinking: “Yes, including Peter Obi” cannot fix Nigeria.

This is not from Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. This is not from Kashim Shettima. This is not from APC. This is from inside Labour Party’s own bedroom.

And that is why this hurts more than any opposition attack.

For months I have asked you, my followers: Where is the plan?

You want to be President of 230 million people. Not President of Twitter. Not President of WhatsApp broadcast. President of Nigeria.

The mother in Shinkafi who cannot take her tomatoes to market because bandits collect tax — what is Peter Obi’s plan for her?
The child in Faskari whose school has been closed for two years because teachers have run away — what is Peter Obi’s comprehensive education policy for him?
The farmer in Sabon Birni who harvested millet but cannot carry it home because whoever goes to farm does not return alive — where is Peter Obi’s verifiable security blueprint to bring him back to farm?

You cannot answer a mother crying in an IDP camp with “Go and verify statistics”.

You cannot answer a father who lost his son to bandits with “We will cut cost of governance”.

You cannot build a nation of 36 states on slogans, emotional blackmail, and constant abuse of whoever is in power.

Nigeria is bleeding. And bleeding people do not need a motivational speaker. They need a surgeon with a plan.

I have said it before: The Presidency is not an award for good English, good suits, or good crowds at Onitsha market. It is not a prize for who can quote China and Egypt statistics fastest.

Popularity is not competence. Social media likes are not economic policy. Crowd shouting “Obi! Obi!” in London is not a security strategy for Zamfara.

Datti understood this. That is why he said the movement must be driven by clearly defined policies and programmes rather than personalities. When a leader has no road map, he leads his own people into a ditch and then blames the ditch.

Datti tried to keep him in Labour. He said he did everything to keep him. Obi left for ADC. ADC rejected him. Now he is in NDC with Kwankwaso. Tomorrow where again? Is this political strategy or political tourism?

Where is the stability? Where is the consistency? If you cannot keep one party together, how will you keep Nigeria together?

I am not saying Peter Obi is not a good man. He is. He is a trader, a good manager of small business, a man who means well.

But Nigeria in 2027 does not need a good man who means well. Nigeria needs a man with a comprehensive, verifiable, tested plan.

Nigerians must grow up.

We must stop electing Presidents by emotions. We must stop choosing leaders because we hate the person in power. We must stop voting because someone made us cry with a sad story.

We must demand evidence. We must demand documents. We must demand, like Datti did: Show me your plan.

If your own Vice Presidential candidate who sat with you in strategy meetings says you have no plan, who am I, Fattykolly, not to believe him?

Datti has said it. I have been saying it.

The question is, are you ready to listen before we all fall off the cliff?

…Ibn Alimi writes for NewsinNaija

KTH Daily Opinion Page