From Billy Graham Abel, Yola
Leader of the North East Advocacy and Concerned Stakeholders’ Forum, and Coordinator of the All Conveners Support Group for Good Governance, Joseph Maigari, has stated that the emergence of the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections in Nigeria, Mr. Peter Obi has proven that Nigerians are already fed up with the big political parties. This is because according to him, Obi and the OBIDIENT Movement has re-awoken and ushered the Nigerian people into an era of new political consciousness and awareness.
Maigari, who is also the North East Zonal Coordinator, Coalition for Peter Obi Monitoring and Evaluation, noted that the era of cynicism against a dark horse winning Nigeria’s presidency was over.
In this exclusive interview he takes a look at one of Nigeria’s biggest opposition movement in the country’s political history.
What is your take on the Labour Party’s outing in the 2023 general elections, particularly in the presidential elections?
I wish to state clearly and unequivocally that the 2023 Presidential and National Assembly elections held on Saturday, February 25, 2023, were not free, fair and credible. It failed the basic tests of integrity and transparency as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), together with the so-called major political parties, engaged in large scale vote buying, voter intimidation, and suppression, and results manipulations, as evidenced by various reports from polling units and collation centres across the countr. All these, coupled with the lack of planning and logistical ineptitude displayed by the INEC, have produced the poisoned chalice that the INEC chairman served to Nigerians on national television as election results.
Furthermore, the INEC ad-hoc staff were poorly trained and hurriedly mobilised, with election materials getting to units late, if they got there at all. Some of the INEC ad-hoc staff were uploading selfies, instead of result sheets. This is so shameful for a country that is the technological hub of Africa.
The non-upload of the result sheets at the unit level after voting is a breach of the Electoral Act and the INEC Guidelines made pursuant to the Act.
Section 60 (5) of the 2022 Electoral Act empowers INEC to prescribe guidelines for the transmission of election results. Pursuant to that subsection, INEC clearly stipulated in clause 38 of its Regulations and Guidelines that election results must be transmitted electronically via the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) after announcement at the polling units. In fact, the guidelines criminalise failure to comply with this provision. Section 64 (4a&b) of the Electoral Act, 2022 lends further credence to the transmission to the IRev before they are announced to Nigerians. Why was the rule bent at that time?
That notwithstanding, not many people gave your Labour Party a chance, but you were able to pull off some pockets of surprises, what was the secret to the huge numbers your party polled that made it a three-way run for the presidency?
A lot of Nigerians were reawakened politically in 2023, and they gave Mr. Peter Obi, our leader, their overwhelming support because they believed he has the competence to deliver our nation from the quagmire in which she had found herself. He got massive support from the completely depleted “middle class” because they saw a glimmer of hope in his courage and capacity to improve the lots of our present day economy. They looked above his inadequacies and gave trust to his antecedents, confident that he could make solid attempts to move our nation forward, especially as it affects production and self sustenance. Obi exuded some compassion and they fell in love with him.
The OBI-DIENT Movement was created. It was carved around him by Nigerians. It wasn’t created by him for Nigerians, but by a diverse demography of citizens who just wanted a better Nigeria.
There were a multitude of OBI-DIENTS that were active members of other political parties who had no plan or business joining the Labour Party, but gave their full support to Obi and that also added a lot of vim and verve to the LP campaign and the movement. Some of us were on national TV screaming the same song and asking for more members to join the movement even if they belonged to other political parties. To us, it was about the individual and not the nomenclature of the political party. The Labour Party was simply special.
Bigger parties like the Peoples Democratic Party (PPDP), and the All Progressives Congress (APC), had claimed that the LP had no structure to win elections. With seven members of your party defecting to the PDP recently, doesn’t that appear to confirm the statement?
Peter Obi and the rise of OBI-DIENT movement is something that any great aspiring young Nigerian with a dream and passion to one-day lead this country must study.
Both the APC and the PDP will never forget 2023 presidential election because of the shock they received.
Obi and the movement demystified the myth that have been perennially perpetuated about the Nigerian political system – the need for structure and the unyielding cynicism of the Nigerian voter that makes it unlikely that they would ever back a dark horse with no real chance to victory.
Those you are referring to as defectors are charlatans who won on the popularity and acceptability of Obi. Without the LP and Obi’s movement, they wouldn’t have any political position today not to talk of running away with the mandate of the LP to another party.
Against the backdrop of an impressive showing at the polls in the 2023 elections, one would have thought that the party would be reorganising and resetting for the future, but here we are having reports of rancour and bickering, with Julius Abure, and Ojukwu, throwing the party into another leadership crisis, holding a national convention, and re-electing themselves into power, what is going on?
There are challenges in the LP, no doubt, but they are surmountable. And I believe we will come out of it stronger. Our challenges are not what would tear the party apart. These are challenges that will make us address things in a more positive way and emerge stronger. The LP is still very strong, that is why everyone you see battling for the soul of the party with passion is doing so because they see it as an honour to lead such a party. I won’t look at the challenges as major setbacks.
All parties have challenges, LP also has challenges but they are not challenges that can tear the party apart or prevent it from performing well at the polls, rather they will make us better.
No system is perfect but I want to see that we do the best based on what is available. In all political parties there are interests, you must learn to understand, manage and give all a sense of belonging. We need to look at the bigger picture, and for the party, that will mean winning the 2027 presidential election.
How true is it that Obi may leave LP?
Obi has not concluded on leaving the party, neither has he said he will leave the party
He said: “If we can’t change them, we’ll leave.”
So going by that quote, Obi is still very much a member of the LP and has no plan of going anywhere.
But the BOT is said to have taken control of the leadership of the party, would there be another national convention?
The convention Abure and his co- charlatan’s organised is illegal. INEC was not even there to witness it because they disobeyed the Court order which the NLC got against Abure and his illegal convention.
Therefore, and definitely, the BOT will organise an honorable convention, where all party members will have a say.
Young Nigerians are looking for a place to express themselves on the political turf of the country, with the crisis in the LP if unresolved, there would seem to be little or no hope especially for the Obidient Movement? Do you share the same view?
The LP crisis cannot kill the spirit of the OBI-DIENT Movement because it is an immortal spirit of hope. The movement is bigger than the crisis or any crisis whatsoever. It is a movement that will continue to give both the APC and the PDP sleepless nights with all their ill gotten financial war chest. The OBI-DIENT Movement is the movement of the people.
On the leadership of the party, you seem to be focused on one Balami, why him?
He is trustworthy, and honesty personified. David Balami is progressively transiting to the apogee of Africa’s eponymous personalities acknowledged only on the strength of their first names. These are people like Nelson Mandela, Enahoro, Awolowo, and others, based on the noble values and sterling virtues that define him and his great strides on all fronts.
In a society that is surfeited with distrust, it is gratifying to see the likes of this brilliant engineer and serial entrepreneur, Balami upholding the timeless value of trustworthiness.
He is in the tribe of our political elites striving to close the yawning gap in the trust deficit in our politics. He demonstrated this feat as the former chairman/CEO, 7STAR Hangar Airlines.
Balami led 7STAR Hangar Airlines with honesty and purpose.
For Balami, every word is his bond. He is a man with a straight tongue and living conscience. Therefore, the LP can safely trust Balami to manage its affairs at This auspicious time as national chairman.
Balami has not robbed the world of his true essence. Like Socrates said: “Oh man know thyself,” Balami discovered himself early, and he has since unbundled himself for service to his people. He has not wavered in his commitment to serve. Rather, for him, leadership is perfectly equated to service and not self-aggrandisement. In his daily interactions, Balami is a reservoir of self-confidence and a great store of positive energy, which he has effortlessly and seamlessly deployed to carry people along and achieve tangible results.
The challenge of the LP at this time is finding leadership that can respond to the multiplicity of vested interests in the party and reignite the vision of the party. On that note, Balami comes in handy and represents the best choice to lead the party. As a former senior special adviser on presidential campaign matters, fundraising, and grassroots mobilisation for the LP campaign council, where he played a critical role in the party, Balami is abreast of the agitations of the stakeholders.
He is set out to assuage their yearnings and equally develop a strong alliance within the party and forge one united labour family to achieve the shared vision. He recognises too well that a house divided against itself cannot stand. Balami comes across with an uncommon leadership disposition as a unifier and rallying point to foster the much-desired cohesion in the party.
As national chairman, Balami will explore new frontiers for the improvement and growth of the party. He understands the power of creativity and innovation, which he intends to bring to bear in his leadership of the party. Having successfully built a sprawling business enterprise and equally left indelible imprints of good leadership to bequeath posterity in 7STAR Hanger/airlines as CEO, Balami appreciates the importance of delegation.
He is a firm believer in delegating responsibilities, rewarding accomplishments, and providing a learning experience for honest mistakes. Furthermore, he recognises the value of individual freedom in addition to the loyalty of subordinates.
Balami is versatile and flexible, yet firm on principles and laid down rules. As a leader, he acknowledges that man is the noblest of all animals at best, but separated from equity and justice; man is the worst. Thus, the distinguished Senator is coming with a clear frame of mind to implement the letters and spirit of the party’s constitution.
The leadership of Balami would engender equity and fair play in the LP. He will enthrone internal democracy by promoting a fluid political process and creating equal opportunity for everyone to compete and ventilate their aspirations within healthy and acceptable ambits. As a democrat and businessman, Balami is well aware that competition is the direct corollary to efficiency, which serves as the harbinger of national development.
The lack of internal democracy seems to be one of the most contentious issues in Nigeria’s democracy, and Balami appreciates the enormity of the challenge. Therefore, it is pivotal in his plan to build the LP as a model of political parties in Nigeria and Africa in general. Under his watch, the party organs statutorily bestowed with the powers to resolve the crisis within the party shall be rekindled and empowered to play their role. The era of a litany of litigations against the party shall fade away with Balami leading the pack as national chairman.
Isaac Balami is a pacesetter of inclusive leadership. He holds the endless conviction that young people and women should be given the platform to express themselves and play critical roles in our political evolution.
Balami is every inch a role model and a beacon of hope to the vulnerable, such as the youths, women, and physically challenged. It is instructive to note that he gave young men and women with competence a chance to thrive with their God-given gift as CEO of 7STAR. He has a penchant for sniffing competence and excellence in people, regardless of their religious inclination and ethnic background.
Balami operates on the philosophy that true leadership success must outlive the leader. Against that backdrop, Balami is a mentor to so many young people as seen in a video he shared on X last month.
Balami, a friendly and accessible leader with a charismatic aura, is in possession of the navigating compass to steer the ship of the ruling LP to a safe harbor.
Away from your party now, it has been over nine months since Bola Tinubu became president of Nigeria, what do you make of his presidency? Do you think Obi would have done differently?
Before the election, I was of the opinion that, the best candidate for the office of the president is the one that tackles insecurity within the country once he becomes the president. That’s one of the reasons many of us (OBIDIENTS) rooted for the vibrant Peter Obi.
Two months from today, he will be exactly one year in office and there is nothing to show that he is doing something as far as insecurity is concerned.
A good president will be known from day one of his stay in the office.
Tinubu’s policies on fuel subsidy removal and foreign exchange unification are anti-people.
A lot of things are affected by the high cost of food, and high cost of living in Nigeria, but insecurity is affecting cost of living even more than the removal of fuel subsidy and the likes.
How do you go into the bush to farm when you know that if you go, you are not sure of coming back home alive?
If nothing is done to tackle insecurity and promote safety of the citizens of Nigeria, especially farmers in the bush, this Tinubu’s regime will be another wasted four years for Nigeria, and trust me, people will do more dubious things to survive because as long as living is concerned, humans are only interested in surviving, whether consciously or subconsciously.
The time has come to look at how leadership affects the masses. The pangs of poverty, dependency, and wants, have deepened in our country.
Obi will have done better. Clearly, he understands Nigeria’s politics, economy and business, because he is a trader.
Drawing from your experience, what do you make of democracy in Nigeria? What do we need to change and how can we get it right?
Nigeria’s political leaders need to grow up if they truly want the best for Nigeria. When you loose an election, you should be able to concede for national interest not your own interest. That’s why America’s democracy remains the greatest of all.
