While President Bola Tinubu currently occupies Nigeria’s highest office, renowned novelist Chimamanda Adichie believes Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in 2023, remains the embodiment of ethical leadership Nigerians yearn for.
In a feature aired on Channels Television’s Amazing Africans, Adichie clarified that Obi’s ambition is not a reflection of power lust but a deep concern for national progress.
“He doesn’t need to be president. He wants to be because he cares about Nigeria, but he doesn’t need to be,” she said, drawing a line between duty and desperation.
Adichie criticized unnamed political actors who pursue power for self-serving reasons. “There are people who are desperate to become president, not because they have any good intentions for the country, but because of their own personal egos,” she noted.
Their relationship, she said, spans 15 years. “He is one of the simplest men I have ever known. He is genuine and consistent. The person I knew 15 years ago is still the same in terms of his values.”
She stressed that Obi’s humility distinguishes him. “Peter Obi is not a person who expects you to thank him for doing his job as a leader, because to him, it’s his job.”
“There’s a sense, I think, in Peter Obi that he’s accountable to the people. He doesn’t think that somehow, he will lord it over people,” Adichie concluded.
Her remarks underline ongoing discussions about what leadership should truly mean in modern Nigeria, especially as Tinubu’s administration continues to face scrutiny over its economic policies and governance approach.