....Oxford-trained LP chieftain says Obi’s integrity–capacity blend is Nigeria’s best hope
By Victor Nwegede, Abakaliki.
Dr. Ezeh Emmanuel Ezeh, the 2023 Labour Party (LP) candidate for Abakaliki/Izzi Federal Constituency and an Oxford-trained entrepreneur, has advised former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to forgo another presidential run in 2027 and instead take on the role of “political father of modern Nigeria.”
Speaking on Afia TV Eastern Eyes with Alex Ogbodo, Dr. Ezeh said Atiku’s peak political moment was in 2019, and that pursuing another bid as an octogenarian would pit him against prevailing political realities.
“Atiku’s voting era was 2019. He ought not to have run in 2023. His greatest legacy now would be to serve as a godfather of modern Nigeria — guiding credible leaders to power rather than contesting again,” Ezeh stated.
Ezeh revisited his widely discussed essay “Mai gaskiya: Buhari’s 12.7 Million Votes and PO's Anointing”, where he compared former President Muhammadu Buhari’s enduring political bloc to the surging popularity of Labour Party’s Peter Obi.
He argued that Buhari’s strength rested on a cultivated image of honesty and frugality, while Obi’s appeal is founded on a “triple asset” — character, competence, and capacity to deliver.
“Nigeria wants a leader with integrity, but also one who has the skill and will to deliver results. Obi completes that circle,” he said.
Ezeh accused many South-East political elites of undermining Obi, not out of ideological differences, but due to personal ambition and fear of being sidelined in a new political order.
“There’s a wide gulf between the South-East elite and the people. The masses stand with Obi; the elites work against him,” Ezeh claimed, adding that such behaviour has weakened the region’s national standing.
He rejected the notion that the South-East should aim for a vice-presidential slot in 2027 as a stepping stone to the presidency, calling it a “shortcut trap” that would only entrench second-tier political relevance.
Ezeh noted that unlike most opposition figures who vanish after election defeats, Obi has retained national relevance and political energy.
“Before now, after elections, everything usually goes quiet. But Obi has kept the momentum alive. That shows he’s the man of the moment,” he said.
The LP chieftain concluded that 2027 represents the best opportunity for the South-East and Nigeria as a whole to elect a president who embodies both integrity and capacity.
