Meet the top 4 candidates in Nigeria’s upcoming presidential election

Peter Obi (Labour Party)

Born on July 19, 1961, Peter Obi is a businessman, politician, former Bank Chairman, and former Governor of Anambra State. Born in Onitsha, Anambra State, Obi attended Christ the King College Onitsha (secondary school) and the University of Nigeria (B.A. Hons in Philosophy). He attended executive business programs at Lagos Business School, Harvard Business School, London School of Economics, Columbia Business School, International Institute for Management Development, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, Said Business School of Oxford University, and Judge Business School of Cambridge University.

He contested in the Anambra state governorship election under the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) party in 2003, but his opponent, Dr. Chris Ngige of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was declared the winner. After a painstaking court litigation that lasted for nearly three years, the Appeal Court declared Obi the winner of the election, and he assumed office on March 17, 2006.

The State House of Assembly impeached him on November 2, 2006, after seven months in office. He challenged the impeachment at the Enugu court of appeal and was reinstated on February 9, 2007. He left the office again on May 29, 2007, after the 2007 General Election. He returned to court again to contend that the four-year tenure he won in 2003 should start counting from March 2006, when he assumed office. The Supreme Court upheld his argument on June 14, 2007, and returned him to office. He concluded his four-year tenure on February 2010. On February 7, 2010, he was declared winner again in the Anambra Gubernatorial Election and resumed his second four-year tenure, which ended successfully on March 17, 2014.

President Good luck Jonathan appointed Obi the Chairman of the Nigeria Security and Exchange Commission in 2015. On October 12, 2018, Obi was nominated as the Vice Presidential candidate of the PDP for the 2019 presidential election. The Party placed second behind the winner Muhammadu Buhari of APC.

On March 24, 2022, Obi declared his intention to contest for the office of the President under the platform of the PDP. However, Obi pulled out of the PDP presidential slot and resigned from the Party, through a letter addressed to his Party Ward Chairman and the National Chairman, citing some unfavorable reasons that made it expedient for him to leave the Party.

On May 2022, he was declared as the Labour Party presidential flag bearer after other candidates willingly stepped down for him at the parties’ presidential primary in Delta state, Nigeria.