WHY PETER OBI MAY NEVER RULE NIGERIA – He Lacks The One Thing That Makes All The Difference! (Ope Banwo, Mayor Of Fadeyi & Founder Naija Lives Matter)

By The Mayor of Fadeyi

Let’s face it—Peter Obi is NOT likely to ever become president of nigeria  because he lacks the ONE ingredient that makes all the difference for a politician to win in Nigeria, and that may be the saddest truth Obidients are not ready to hear. Yes, P.Os lack of desperation is his Achilles heel

Every time I hear Peter Obi say, “I’m not desperate to be president”, something inside me twists. Bros, that right there is your biggest problem! In a country like Nigeria where power is wrestled not handed over, where elections are not Olympic events judged by fairness and sportsmanship, you either want the throne like breath—or die trying.

We are not Switzerland. This is not Canada. This is Naija, where only the desperate survive, and the ruthless thrive.

Say what you like about Jagaban, but Tinubu wanted that seat with the hunger of a man starved for decades. He was ready to sacrifice his own ambition for Buhari in 2015, played long chess, built alliances, and when it was finally his turn, he didn’t form humility. He screamed: “EMI LOKAN!” and moved mountains to make it happen.

Peter Obi on the other hand? Bros dey tweet. He actually believes it’s a virtue not to be desperate to win and his naivety just make me laugh now that I decided to stop drinking the cool-aide of any politician and become and equal opportunity Gbasgbos operative .

Yes, Peter Obi is articulate. Yes, he’s disciplined. Yes, he’s prudent. But politics is not a TED Talk. Na gladiator ring we dey. Nigerian politics is a contact sports and ajebotas get eaten for lunch. You don’t take Aso Rock by appealing to people’s conscience and making it sound like you are doing them a favour by running for presidency. They isn’t care. You take power by grabbing power with both hands and biting your opponents if you must.

President Bola Tinubu even publicly disclose led the recipe every winner in nigerian politics already know from state assembly to senate to presidency: Power is NOT served a la carte. You grab it. You snatch it and you run away with it

Sure I even joined others to drag Jagaban for his seemingly condemnable comments but the more I think about it the more I see it as a very honest commentary on nigerian politics. Instead of peter obi acknowledging the reality his nemesis has put out there, he continues to operating like a Salmon fish  in a pool of viscious barracudas and piranhas

IN NIGERIA, ONLY THE SUPER DESPERATE TAKE THE THRONE

Let’s break this down clearly. Every man who has ever seized Aso Rock came in with desperation that smelled like hunger either personal desperation or desperation of the tribe behind them .

Olusegun Obasanjo? He may not have personally lobbied for the job, but don’t be deceived—the Yorubas were desperate for redemption after the betrayal of June 12. The entire 1999 election was Yoruba vs Yoruba. It was a desperation of a tribe that demanded appeasement after the June 12 betrayal by Babangida. The military knew it. The nation knew it. It wasn’t Obasanjo that fought—it was the Yoruba desperation that made the country hand over the throne. They were desperate enough to convince the military that this nation will burn if a Yoruba man is not given the iron throne . They did not even trust in an election that would involve another tribe. Yoruba vs Yoruba or not .. and they won

Anyone who thought the 2 main parties elected a Yoruba flag-bearer by accident are clueless .

Buhari? Let’s not forget this man failed three times. But when the desperation peaked, he screamed blood—“Baboons and Goats will be soaked in blood”—and then joined forces with the most desperate political tactician in Nigerian history: Bola Ahmed Tinubu. That combo of raw desperation + street cunning + cult followership bulldozed him into power. It wasn’t because he smiled pretty on campaign posters.

Even Goodluck Jonathan, the accidental president, is a case study. The only reason he got in was the tragic “luck” of being VP to a dead President. That’s not desperation—that’s divine coincidence. And see how it ended. When it came time to fight for a second term, he couldn’t match the hunger of the wolves coming for his seat. He lacked the desperation to fight dirty. Result? He lost.

And what about Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the best president Nigeria never had? He had the brain, the vision, and the plan. But he lacked one thing: desperation. At one point, he said he would not run again and would wait until Nigerians “came for him.” They never did. They buried him with the title of the greatest president we never had.

In politics, as in Game of Thrones, only the super desperate get to sit on the Iron Throne.Nigeria is no different. This is a jungle, not a democracy for saints and choirboys.

Look, I was once Obidient. I loved the movement. I still admire the passion of the Obidient youths—the most organically fired-up political movement in Nigeria’s history. These guys were even ready to fund their own revolution. That has never happened before in this country. Not even Abiola had that kind of unfiltered grassroots energy.

But what did Obi do with all that fire? He started tweeting like a professor holding an ethics class and he watched as the more desperate person snatched the power and ran away with it while his Obidients became inconsolable . He won’t even lead a protest against the perceived rigging even as Obidients cried and begged him to fight

Even my guy, @MoghaluKingsley, who I rate highly, took a hard look at the Nigerian political terrain and wisely bowed out. He knew what it would take. He knew it was going to require blood, sweat, betrayal, and yes—desperation. And he said, “Not me, not now.” I respect that more than passive ambition. Moghalu KNEW what it would take to win, knew he didn’t want to go all in like that and stepped aside . How can you not respect such a man?

Truth : You can’t play gentleman in a gang fight. When you take a nail cutter to a gun fight you will get mowed down like a pussy regardless of your good intentions.

To wrest power from Jagaban in 2027 or beyond, Peter Obi must be more desperate than him. He must be willing to burn every political bridge, dig trenches, and make alliances with even the devil (then break them if you must). He must be prepared to lose sleep, lose friends, maybe even lose your halo. If he does not develop a pair of brass balls by 2027 , he will only be making his passionate followers labor in vain AGAIN.  It’s not pretty to say and I do not say it with any job but it has to said out loud !

The sad part to all this is that Peter Obi has a gift for free that most politicians pay billions to buy: a ready army of believers. Not just causal believers but passionate new who are self funding in many areas. But he keeps letting them down with this laid-back, I’m-above-the-fray mad annoying  ‘I am not desperate’ approach.

Sir, you’re not Goodluck Jonathan. Heaven did not name you Goodluck. So let me say this bluntly:

Peter Obi will never be president until he is ready to fight dirty and desperate. Until he is ready to shout his own “EMI LOKAN” with his chest.

Until he is ready to take power, not merely contest for it. He has to be ready or balance tie terror of the ruling elite and fight fire for fire or forget about it . I am not advocating anything violent o but he should be ready to use the same playbook his opponents are deploying or get out of the field of play.

And to my dear Obidient brethren, it’s time you demand more from your man. Tell him it’s not enough to have the vision. He must be willing to bleed for it. Nigeria is burning. Your children are drowning in debt, hunger, and hopelessness. You can’t be calm when your house is on fire.

Yes, I’m not Obidient anymore, as I have explained for the umpteenth time, but I still believe in holding hope alive. I criticize Jagaban when he messes up, and I criticize PO when he falls short.

The clock is ticking. And if Peter Obi doesn’t find that fire—the kind that keeps you awake at night, makes you sacrifice everything, makes you unapologetically ruthless in politics when needed—he won’t even come second next time.

And history, my people, does not remember the good man who almost became king. All the good guys get is a nice eulogy at their burial about how great they could have been for our nation

Get desperate or get out of the way buddy and let Obidients go look for another champion to lead their hunger and anger for a better nigeria

Ope Banwo

Founder, Naija Lives Matter

Mayor of Fadeyi