Barrister Buhari Yusuf, a political affairs analyst, has argued that Peter Obi does not qualify as a national politician, insisting that the over six million votes he secured in the 2023 presidential election were driven largely by a temporary wave of emotional excitement rather than enduring nationwide political acceptance.
Speaking in an interview on Trust TV from 23:26, Yusuf said Obi made a strategic error by allowing himself to become politically controlled by his supporters instead of leading them.
He explained that Obi failed to assert authority over the Obidient movement and instead permitted supporters on the street to dictate his political decisions. He said Obi’s inability to rein in his supporters shows a lack of pragmatism expected of a national political figure.
Yusuf maintained that if Obi were truly in charge of his movement, his political approach would have reflected deeper calculation and compromise. He stressed that the emotional surge that fueled Obi’s popularity during the 2023 election has since faded and no longer carries the same political force.
Yusuf dismissed claims that Obi’s victories in states such as Lagos, FCT, and parts of North Central reflected broad national appeal. He argued that those wins were rooted mainly in ethnic and religious sentiments rather than widespread political acceptance.
He argued that the structure and tone of Obi’s campaign encouraged those sentiments from the outset. He further stated that Obi aligned his campaign with religious centers, which influenced voter perception and the overall outcome of the election.
Yusuf added that the ruling APC has since adjusted their strategy in areas where Obi previously performed well, significantly weakening his influence.
In his words, “The reality he knows, up till today, Obi is not a national politician, in the definition of a national politician. The 6 million votes he got were a result of one animated emotion that came to him at a particular time. It’s no longer there. It has doused down.” See_More…