Political analyst, Sam Amadi, has said the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi‘s style of politics was fundamentally different from Nigeria’s prevailing political culture, where politicians expect financial rewards and other benefits from their political associations.
Naija News reports that Amadi made the remark while speaking on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme on Friday.
Amadi described Peter Obi as a minimalist who prefers a less elaborate approach to politics and would rather pursue a straightforward path to political success than engage in the extensive political mobilisation associated with conventional Nigerian politics.
He said Peter Obi cannot effectively run a typical Nigerian political organisation because of his minimalist political approach and reluctance to distribute money.
According to Amadi, some politicians who left Peter Obi’s camp approached him to explain their grievances, which he said were partly driven by what they expected from the former Governor of Anambra State but did not get.
Amadi said their complaints reflected a fundamental disagreement between Peter Obi’s political philosophy and the expectations of politicians operating within Nigeria’s political system.
The former Director-General of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, maintained that Peter Obi understood his limitations in managing the country’s conventional political structure.
He said: “Peter Obi represents a different kind of politician. Everything about him is often also exaggerated.
“Atiku ran for election with him as vice. The first thing he did after the election was to jump.
“First, Nigeria has a political market that’s unstable. Yes. Most of these guys who left, they’ve come to me, and I talk to them, and they bring issues of grievance. And I say to these guys, look, I’ve served as Senate president. I’ve served Jonathan. I disagree with these people, but it’s part of it.
“There’s a political career. These guys want to move on. Secondly, they also want to have some things Peter cannot offer. That’s a deep dissonance between Peter and Nigerian politics. People forget that. Yes, he doesn’t give money.
“So Peter is not capable; Peter cannot run a typical Nigerian political organization. He knows that.
“Again, Peter is a minimalist, but it’s business. He likes to, if he can, just sneak through this. He doesn’t have to open the whole place.”
