Minister Draws Parallel With Buhari’s Early Election Struggles, Questions Peter Obi’s Northern Political Structure
A minister in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration has stated that former Anambra State governor and Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has no realistic pathway to winning elections in Nigeria’s core northern states due to what she described as weak political structure and limited regional alliances.
The Minister of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, said northern politics is largely driven by deeply rooted party structures, grassroots networks, and long-standing political relationships, factors she argued Obi currently lacks in the region.
Drawing a comparison with former President Muhammadu Buhari, Musawa noted that Buhari also lost multiple presidential elections before eventually securing victory in 2015 after forming a broad political coalition, particularly with Bola Tinubu’s political base in the South-West.
She maintained that Buhari’s success was not based solely on popularity in the North but on strategic alliances that cut across regions, adding that such a political bridge is absent in Obi’s case.
Musawa further argued that electoral outcomes in the core North are rarely determined by social media influence or urban support alone, but by established party machinery and trusted local leadership structures.
Peter Obi, who contested the 2023 presidential election on the platform of the Labour Party, recorded strong support among young voters and urban populations but struggled to secure significant votes across many northern states.
The minister’s comments have generated debate among political observers, with critics insisting that economic hardship, insecurity, and growing public dissatisfaction could reshape future voting patterns in the region.
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