The Executive Director of SPECS Academy, Professor Okey Ikechukwu, has questioned whether Southeast politicians would genuinely support former Labour Party Presidential candidate Peter Obi if he became president, citing potential conflicts over his anti-corruption stance.
Speaking during an interview with Arise TV, Professor Ikechukwu analyzed the dynamics within opposition coalitions and expressed skepticism about their cohesion and shared objectives. “They’re trying to see if they can gather several platforms and individuals and get more votes than the government. Besides those votes, I don’t see what’s the center,” Ikechukwu stated, questioning the ideological foundation of current opposition alliances.
The academician challenged assumptions about unity among opposition figures, suggesting that personal interests and histories would create conflicts in any Obi-led administration. “Do you suppose that you have Peter Obi as president, some of the candidates of the other parties with their own reputation and personal history and source of wealth, do you think they will live peacefully with Peter Obi? The answer is no,” he argued.
Professor Ikechukwu specifically targeted Southeast politicians, arguing that Obi’s governance record in Anambra State would make him an uncomfortable leader for those accustomed to different standards. “Do you think many of the southeast politicians will be excited to have Peter Obi as president? Knowing how he governed Anambra state, knowing how he made sure no money got lost, knowing how he handed over the schools complete with funds,” he questioned.
He provided specific examples of Obi’s transparent governance approach, illustrating why some politicians might find his methods challenging. “Okay, Catholics, this is the number of your school. This is the amount per school, 6 billion. You think they’re going to sit and make that happen?” Ikechukwu asked rhetorically.
The professor identified fundamental weaknesses in current opposition coalitions, emphasizing their lack of shared convictions and clear policy directions. “So, let’s disaggregate the confusion and place a few things on the table. You have parties that are not in power who would like to get into power; they will need the votes to displace the APC, but in doing that, you’re going to bring people of like convictions, but they don’t have that, and they don’t share that,” he explained.
Ikechukwu highlighted the absence of a unifying political philosophy among coalition members. “Secondly, there must be a central belief that looks like this: this is what we’re going to do when we get into power, but you also have in that coalition people who had betrayed each other before and who, from all indications, have not changed at all. That’s another element,” he stated.
He also raised concerns about resource mobilization within opposition alliances. “And you’re going to now talk about funding. Once you talk about coalition, the first thing that happens is that everybody watches his resources or her resources,” he observed.
Professor Ikechukwu contrasted current opposition efforts with the successful coalition-building that brought the All Progressives Congress (APC) to power. “So, I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. If you’re talking about access to state power, most of those in the coalition are too comfortable, have groomed themselves in the last 25 years on political conspiracy, which can only work within enclosures,” he argued.
He praised the APC’s approach to coalition-building as a model of effective political strategy. “A coalition like the type the APC did; they worked for it. The ACN and CPC did; they worked for it. They went around; they were on the ground; they were not busy moralizing. The moralizing element was to stigmatize the PDP as bad in order to take power from it,” Ikechukwu explained.
The professor concluded by criticizing current opposition coalitions for lacking the strategic sophistication that characterized successful political alliances. “Now, that level of sophistication and strategizing is not happening right in the present coalition,” he stated.
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