2027: South-East Governors Attacking Peter Obi for Selfish Gains — Uzuegbu

Chief Ben Uzuegbu

By Polycarp Ifeanyi

A prominent Onitsha-based lawyer, Chief Ben Uzuegbu, has said that attacks on Mr Peter Obi by some South-East governors are driven by selfish political interests rather than genuine concern for the people.

Chief Uzuegbu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), made the assertion in an interview with journalists at his office in Onitsha while reacting to what he described as desperate moves by some governors to frustrate the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Peter Obi, ahead of the 2027 general election.

The legal icon, who is also a human rights activist, social critic and renowned philanthropist, said the governors were attacking Obi to impress their political masters in the hope of securing future political rewards.

“Everybody knows that South-East governors attacking Peter Obi are doing so because of their own interests. Their interests may be that, in the future, they will be chosen as vice-president or given one office or another after their tenure in office,” he said.

According to the SAN, the governors and other political opponents were not attacking Obi because his statements or positions were contrary to the interests of the masses, Nigerians or the South-East.

“They want to use the opportunity to tell their masters that they can do something and get something out of attacking Peter Obi. That is why they are attacking him here and there. But I can tell you that, at the end of the day, what is important is not the governors. What is important is the masses. The masses know who will represent their interests. They know what Peter Obi stands for,” he said .

He expressed confidence that, if the election were conducted freely and fairly, the will of the people would prevail over that of the governors.

The philanthropist, however, warned that widespread poverty could make voters vulnerable to vote-buying by political opponents of Obi.

“I believe that, at the end of the day, if the election is conducted freely and fairly, the masses are more than the governors. But I know there is a high level of poverty among Nigerians. Because of that, these governors can dip their hands into the state treasury, pull out money and start distributing it. When they distribute money, a hungry man can do anything. So, in the absence of vote-buying by those governors, Peter Obi has no problem with his antagonists and attackers,” he said.

Asked whether the attacks would affect Obi’s chances among the electorate, he said they would not, identifying money politics and structural manipulation as the major threats to his electoral prospects.

“What the governors are doing to Peter Obi will not affect him. But two things can affect him — money influence and structural manipulation.
“There is high poverty in the country. These people have made the people so poor and wretched that, when they begin to distribute money, a hungry man can dance to their wishes and aspirations, not knowing that he is putting himself into a cage once again. Left alone, I don’t think the campaign being carried out by the governors will work against Peter Obi. But with the influence of money and the influence of structures like local government chairmen, who may try to rig the election, that is where the challenge lies.”he added.

On why Obi had refused to respond to his attackers, Chief Uzuegbu said the former Anambra governor had adopted a deliberate strategy to remain focused on his campaign and avoid distractions.

“Peter Obi has a good, deliberate policy.
If he continues to attack those attacking him, he will not be able to concentrate on his campaign because he is talking to the people, and the people know what is true and what is not true.
“All Peter Obi needs is to continue to deliver his message. As he delivers the message, it sinks into the people’s ears. If he begins to attack here and there, he will not even have the instruments of action. For Peter Obi to begin to respond to his attackers will not add anything meaningful to what he is doing,” he added.