I had a telephone conversation two days ago and again yesterday evening with my cousin Ekenyem Nwafor Orizu about the politics of Nigeria, the trends, the news, and our talk veered to the intrigues in the various political parties especially the ADC and the PDP.
Ekenyem’s father (my late uncle, Senator Abyssinia Akweke Nwafor Orizu) was Nigeria’s First President of the Senate as well as Nigeria’s First Acting President so… yeah, my cousin Ekenyem has politics wired in his DNA and that said, people who know me would know that my engagement with such a politically aware person would be contentious.
I was surprised by his angle on what some have characterised as “flakiness” in Peter Obi’s politics. Some who are politically affiliated with my cousin use “ubiquitous”, “rolling stone”, “nomadic” as adjectives to qualify Mister Peter Obi’s political journey. All sorts of people are chiming in on the matter—some minded to discredit or reduce the man with portrayals of him as “desperate” or “in search of an uncontested Presidential Ticket,” whereas others understand, as I do, that considering the dynamics at play, Mister Peter Obi doesn’t have a choice.
So, my cousin (who isn’t a campaigner for Peter Obi’s emergence as President) came up with a rather interesting and apt logic to explain Peter Obi’s politics—or at least, his understanding of it.
“Do you remember Eneke the Bird?” he asked, referencing Things Fall Apart.
Before I could nod, he said:
“I’ve been telling people that in spite of my not being on Peter Obi’s side of politics, I understand the man. He’s like Eneke the Bird who said that since hunters learnt to shoot without missing, he learnt to fly without perching… that’s all I can say on the matter… and I also add, ‘onye luo nya si obulu kwa ya.’”
That reach back into literature is not poetic indulgence—it is precise political diagnosis.
The story of Eneke the Bird, who, upon discovering that hunters had learned to shoot without missing, responded with a simple but profound adjustment—he learned to fly without perching—is, in essence, Peter Obi’s politics.
To describe the man as “nomadic” or “a rolling stone” is to deliberately misunderstand the terrain he is navigating.
Nigeria’s political environment is not a neutral playing field; it is a hostile ecosystem—one where institutions are weaponized, party structures are compromised, and internal sabotage is constant. In such an environment, rigidity is not strength; it is vulnerability.
Eneke did not abandon perching because he lacked discipline; he abandoned it because the conditions that once made perching safe had fundamentally changed.
Likewise, Peter Obi’s movements across political platforms are not evidence of ideological emptiness but of strategic awareness.
Every observer of Nigerian politics today knows that Mister Peter Obi is a politically hunted man and a discerning person would accept that he has been hunted since 2023 by Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who considers him a nemesis.
This pattern is not new in political history.
Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, with massive popular support, was hounded and ultimately detained after the June 12 election.
Olusegun Obasanjo himself, before becoming President, was imprisoned under a regime threatened by his influence.
Nnamdi Azikiwe faced suppression during colonial rule due to his growing nationalist following.
Beyond Nigeria, Nelson Mandela and Aung San Suu Kyi were similarly constrained by systems that feared their mass appeal.
The pattern is consistent: when a political figure commands organic, mass followership outside the control of entrenched systems, the system responds—not with accommodation—but with containment.
In 2022, when the Obidient Movement started, it was dismissed as “some Nigerian youth on the internet making noise” but like a locomotive gathering steam, Peter Obi’s youth vanguard advanced rapidly. His popularity was meteoric, driven by simple, clear messaging and a reputation for prudence from his time as Governor of Anambra State.
Nigerians, long fatigued by corruption, saw something different. They saw;
A man who spoke plainly.
A man who pointed out that voters who collect money lose moral authority.
A man whose “I no dey give shishi” stance resonated deeply.
Unlike many politicians, Obi didn’t depend on party machinery. He carried his own structure; several millions of Nigerians bound not by patronage, but by shared frustration. That inversion is what unsettles the establishment.
What distinguishes Obi is not merely that he moves but what moves with him. He does not go to parties to inherit structure; he goes with structure. His support base follows him with a near “we die together” mindset. Evidence of this was seen when, within hours of his defection, digital platforms associated with his new political alignment experienced overwhelming traffic. About 10.1 Million New Members signed up for Membership of the NDC and about the same number (or did I hear, more), left the ADC, Obi’s party as at Four days ago. Evidently, he can’t be described as a Normadic Politician with the negative connotation that he is “fishing” for “a ready-made Political Party that would offer him a Presidential Ticket on a Platter without his contesting in a Primary Election. Suggestion that as his reason for moving from one party to another is disingenuous and mischievous. It’s a convenient misrepresentation of the truth by people with interests who know the reasons, the truth and yet mischaracterise what they know.
Peter has upended typical Nigerian politics and it’s precisely for this reason that he is feared and this is why the battlefield is not the general election, it’s the primaries. In a system where primaries are transactional, where delegates are influenced by money, remaining static is not principled it’s plain naivety.
SYSTEMIC SABOTAGE AND THE STRATEGY OF DISTRACTION
The expectation that Obi should remain fixed within a compromised party structure is, in effect, a demand for self-sabotage. Perhaps more importantly, his strategy reflects an understanding of where the real battle lies: survival. The man understands that he needs to survive long enough to appear on the ballot because exclusion in Nigeria’s politics often happens long before voters have their say.
The pattern, as alleged and widely discussed, is clear:
Agents and moles embedded within parties.
Internal crises triggered upon his entry.
Legal battles designed to consume time.
Institutional bottlenecks used to frustrate momentum.
THE BIGGER POLITICAL CALCULATION
Many believe the President understands that making Nigeria a one-party state outright may be unworkable so the alternative strategy, as argued, is simpler: Stop Peter Obi from contesting because if he is on the ballot, he is a serious threat. The intensity of media attacks, political manoeuvres, and institutional pressure directed at Peter is cited as evidence of this fear.
No opposition candidate in recent Nigerian history, it is argued, has faced such sustained pressure. Is that the much touted “strategy” of the President whose supporters hail as “The Jagaban, the Master Strategist of Nigerian Politics” and “Nigeria’s Political Warlord”?
By the way….I thought that Politicians whose campaigners or themselves say that they have performed creditably should run for reelection or offices on their record. Mister Obi is running on his record, he’s got traction, he’s got momentum even as disadvantaged as the forces against him have made him so it’s shameful that the President’s campaigners and supporters aren’t campaigning on his record but devote time, energy and resources to a viscous, unrelenting campaign of calumny against Mister Obi in the Media when he’s not in Court fighting for the survival of his party.
Seen through this lens, the Eneke analogy is not just apt, it’s definitive or is it instructive? So…… basically, Mister Peter Obi is not wandering, he is evading. These are two different, mutually exclusive things. He is neither a “rolling Stone” nor is he unstable, he’s responsive is what he is. The Man is not politically homeless, he is politically hunted. In a forest where hunters no longer miss, only a foolish bird insists on perching.
Peter Obi’s political movements are as sensible, understandable as they are inevitable. The criticism of his movement is not just misplaced, it is mischievous. Adaptation under pressure is not inconsistency. It’s called survival.……
Obi J. Iwuchukwu Esq.
May 5, 2026
OBLONG MEDIA GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE 
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