Peter Obi’s Campaign Strategy Is Superficial – Bwala

Peter Obi’s Campaign Strategy Is Superficial – Bwala

Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, criticised the 2023 Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, asserting that he is not a genuine ‘labour’ leader and describing his campaign strategy as “superficial.”

Speaking on The Clarity Zone Podcast on Wednesday, Bwala argued that Obi’s philanthropic reputation is exaggerated and does not align with his financial capacity.

“Peter Obi is a billionaire, multi-billionaire. There is no record that Peter has floated a foundation. Or a school. Anything that has to do with public interest and funded so they can meet the needs of the masses. Not a single one,” he stated.

He also refuted claims of large donations attributed to Obi, insisting, “He has never given beyond N50m, and even that one, I can tell you the circumstances behind it. He never gave N100m to anybody.”

Bwala further criticized the boreholes Obi reportedly supported in parts of the North after the elections, describing them as primitive.

“Do you know the type of borehole people gave them money to produce? Caveman days borehole — where somebody will climb and be bouncing like this before water will come out. This is the type of development in his mind. But Nigerians don’t know,” he alleged.

Beyond philanthropy, the presidential aide questioned Obi’s alignment with the Labour Party, claiming the former Anambra governor has no history of supporting workers’ struggles or grassroots activism.

“Peter Obi is a capitalist by nature. He believes in free market economy. He’s a businessman. There is nothing resembling socialism around Peter Obi. But Peter Obi ran on the platform of Labour Party that is principally a socialist party.

Tell me whether you have ever seen Peter Obi in any workers’ strike, protest or student unionism. Even during EndSARS, was he there? Yet, it is the same demographic he uses in campaigning,” Bwala said.

He described Obi’s 2023 campaign as populist, likening it to the approach of former US President Donald Trump. According to him, Obi capitalized on youth anger to gather support.

“In the last election, Obi just saw that the youth were not happy and he rode on that anger. They even said, ‘we no dey give shishi,’ because once you ride on their anger, they sponsor themselves to fight your cause,” Bwala added.

Bwala also accused Obi of using church platforms during his campaign but abandoning them post-election.

“He went to all the churches, met all the Pentecostal bishops. He was everywhere — Holy Ghost night, Holy Ghost morning, prophetic prayers. But after the election, I didn’t see him again. Like my church, we had Shiloh. I told my one of my pastors that Peter Obi no dey go Shiloh again,” he said.

Obi, who joined the Labour Party in 2022 after leaving the Peoples Democratic Party, ran a campaign that drew extensive youth and church support through the “Obidient” movement.

The Labour Party, officially a social democratic platform, positioned itself as a pro-worker alternative in the elections.

Although Bwala claims Obi has not funded public projects, records indicate the former governor has made donations to health and educational institutions in recent years. In 2024, Obi donated ₦70 million to various health and educational institutions in Anambra State and gave ₦20 million to Faith Foundation Mission Hospital, Nsukka, Enugu State, to support its College of Nursing Sciences, among other contributions.

• Ohanaeze Ndigbo President Demands Immediate Release Of IPOB Leader Nnamdi Kanu
• Rivers Assembly To Probe Ibas, Calls For Commissioner-Nominees
• Rivers Lawmakers Resume, Pass Resolutions to Restore Peace, Governance