By Obunike Ohaegbu, Ezesinachi Ukpor

My dear Obidients,

I write out of deep respect for our movement, for our hopes for Nigeria, and above all, for the man at the centre of our collective aspiration — Mr. Peter Obi.

In recent days, internal conversations among Obidients have grown tense. Some insist that Peter Obi must run alone. Others argue he must align with a coalition. Some believe he must secure the ADC ticket at all costs. Others see strategic alliances as the wiser path.

But let us pause and reflect.

If we trust Peter Obi to be competent enough to lead over 200 million Nigerians, surely we must also trust him to decide the route that gives him — and us — the best chance in 2027.

It is inconsistent to believe he is wise enough to lead a nation, yet somehow too confused to choose his own political vehicle.
That logic does not hold.

We Are One Family — Not Factions

Within the movement today, there are two categories of Obidients:

  1. Those who believe Obi can win outright in 2027 on his own ticket.

  2. Those who believe he can still win, but through a more strategic approach, possibly involving a coalition or stronger party structure.

Both groups love Peter Obi.
Both groups want him to succeed.
Both groups are sincere.
Both groups are Obidients.

Neither is “more Obidient” than the other.
Our only difference is approach, not destination.

A movement that hopes to govern a divided nation must not divide itself over strategy.

On the Issue of Structure: Peter Obi Learned This Lesson the Hard Way

I prefer to speak from a practical point of view, and the clearest example is found in Peter Obi’s own political journey.

When he became Governor of Anambra State, the House of Assembly was dominated by PDP lawmakers, not APGA.
The imbalance led to intense hostilities, intrigues, and eventually his impeachment in November 2006.

For nine months, Peter Obi remained out of office until the Court of Appeal nullified the impeachment in August 2007.

This bitter experience taught him a lifelong truth:

Without structure, even a competent leader can be sabotaged.

In the next election cycle, he ensured APGA secured a majority in the House of Assembly.

In my own constituency, Peter Obi fielded one of the most dynamic and experienced politicians of that time, Rt. Hon. Egwuonyibo Okoye. Yet, in defiance, the constituency voted overwhelmingly for Rt. Hon. Rita Maduagwu of the ACN — a party that was virtually irrelevant in Anambra then.

But when she got to the House, Peter Obi and APGA poached her, and she defected to join the ruling party.

Why?

Because Peter Obi had learned the importance of structure the hard way — and was determined never again to govern without the legislative machinery needed to stabilize leadership.

So when people casually chant “structure does not matter,” they forget:

Even Peter Obi himself learned that structure is everything.

He knows its importance.
He knows the cost of lacking it.
He knows when alliances are necessary.

A Hard Truth: 2027 Will Not Be 2023

We all admire the 2023 performance.
We all look at those numbers and believe Obi can “do it again.”

Yes — he can win an election.
But the dynamics of 2027 will not resemble 2023 in any way.

1. Lagos Will Be a Battlefield — But Not the One You Remember

The votes Obi secured in Lagos in 2023 were historic.
But let us be honest:

Repeating that victory will be extremely dangerous, costly, and bloody.

In 2023, Igbo business communities in Lagos were targeted, attacked, profiled, and brutalized — and that was when Tinubu was not yet president.

Today, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu is the President and Commander-in-Chief.

Anyone who imagines that Lagos will be an open field in 2027 is engaging in fantasy.
To attempt 2023 Lagos without a broader coalition is to walk into a political ambush.

We underestimate Tinubu in Lagos at our own peril.

2. Only One Ticket Can Correct Two Historical Injustices

Two geopolitical zones have never produced Nigeria’s president:

  • North East — Atiku Abubakar’s zone

  • South East — Peter Obi’s zone

No other ticket corrects both injustices simultaneously.
No other ticket unites:

  • Northern vote banks

  • Southern Christian blocs

  • Middle Belt moderates

  • Youth movements

  • Diaspora technocrats

  • Business elites

  • Igbo entrepreneurs

  • Progressive Muslims

  • Minority ethnic nationalities

An Atiku–Obi ticket, just as in 2018, remains the most nationally balanced, electorally potent, and politically stabilizing option on the table.

No other combination matches its reach.

3. Nigerian Voters Are More Vulnerable Today Than in 2023

We must acknowledge the vulnerability of the average Nigerian voter.

In a viral video in August 2025, a woman stated that she left her home praying for the ADC candidate, Justina Azuka — widow of Justice Azuka who was abducted and killed in 2024.

But when she was offered N15,000, she voted for the APGA candidate, Mimi Azikiwe, and returned home to continue praying for Mrs. Azuka.

Her conscience followed compassion.
Her vote followed poverty.

ADC got her prayer. APGA got her vote.

This is the Nigerian reality.
This is the challenge we face.
This is why structure, alliances, war chests, networks, and ground soldiers matter.

It is not betrayal to admit this.
It is strategic maturity.

A Final Clarification: Some People Shouting “Obidients” Are Actually “Obidiots”

Let us also address one uncomfortable truth within the movement.

Not everyone shouting “Obidient!” is truly Obidient.
Some are, in fact, “Obidiots” — people playing Wike’s politics in Obidient clothing, whose major stock-in-trade is the daily insult of Atiku Abubakar.

You cannot claim to support Peter Obi while insulting Atiku every day.
That is political hypocrisy of the highest order.

Those who constantly attack Atiku are not part of the strategic wing of this movement.
They are noise-makers.
They are infiltrators.
They are spoilers trying to poison the atmosphere and destroy the possibility of a winning coalition.

We know them when we see them.
We are not deceived.
They do not represent us.

They are not Obidients. They are OBIDIOTS.

True Obidients understand strategy.
True Obidients respect partnership.
True Obidients do not burn bridges that may lead to victory.
True Obidients do not insult those who can help build the winning coalition.

The rest are simply clowns in borrowed robes — loud but politically empty.

Let Peter Obi Make the Call

We want Peter Obi to win.
We want his ideas implemented.
We want a functional Nigeria.

The question is:

Do we want to win, or do we want to remain emotionally satisfied but politically powerless?

Peter Obi has the intelligence, experience, and discipline to make the best strategic decision — whether that means running alone, joining a coalition, negotiating a major-party ticket, or reviving the 2018 partnership.

We must trust him to think.

We must not become a movement that loves him but refuses to allow him to reason.

The Tail Must Not Wag the Dog

As a child in Ukpor, my mother kept a local dog named Bingo.
As a grown man, I have raised over six dogs in my Abuja home.

Across all the years, one truth has remained:

A dog wags its tail. Never has a tail wagged a dog.

Peter Obi is the dog.
The movement is the tail.

The tail cannot dictate the direction of the dog.
It must follow the dog.

If we believe he is capable of leading a nation, then we must believe he is capable of choosing the best path to the presidency.

Conclusion

2023 gave us momentum.
2027 requires machinery.

2023 gave us energy.
2027 requires engineering.

2023 introduced a path.
2027 requires strategic navigation.

Allowing Peter Obi the freedom to choose his route is not betrayal — it is the highest form of loyalty.

Let him weigh the risks.
Let him assess alliances.
Let him read the landscape.
Let him choose.

Because leaders lead.
Tails do not wag dogs.
And no movement wins by forcing its champion to walk blindfolded.

Obunike Ohaegbu writes from his village in Anambra State.