NO NIGERIAN politician should invoke “experience” in our national discourse — except His Excellency Mr. Peter Obi. As a former governor of Anambra State with a proven record of prudent, accountability-driven leadership, he alone has the moral right to speak on it. No other past or present officeholder does, if we agree that experience should drive positive growth for our people and society.
It is annoying to hear former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, in an April 15, 2026 interview on ARISE News, claim that Goodluck Jonathan’s administration struggled due to inexperience — even while calling him a “decent young man.”
We need a president who is fit physically, mentally, and emotionally. The presidency should not become an old people’s home. The task of the office is tough and demanding. It requires mental, physical, and emotional alertness. We do not need a president who spends one week in Nigeria and another two weeks in London, France, or Dubai. We don’t need a president who enjoys the best medical care in Europe while citizens die daily in makeshift health centres because the health ministry cannot access more than 0.2% of its budget.
We all know that when a politician in Nigeria is described as “experienced,” what comes to mind is his ability to manipulate the system, deceive people, pit groups against one another, misappropriate funds, abandon projects, and elevate cronies and tribesmen to choice positions. Or what kind of “experience” was Atiku talking about?
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If our politicians’ experience were positive, we wouldn’t be where we are today. The PDP paraded a galaxy of political stars, including Atiku Abubakar. What did they achieve? Where did their experience land us?
If anything, Nigerians remember the PDP and its galaxy of experienced politicians for monumental corruption, abandoned projects, a failed education system, a comatose health system, eroded values, and destroyed state institutions. Experience has not helped our political leaders. Their 27-year record is a tale of failure.
All the noise Nigerians made about Muhammadu Buhari’s arrival — how he hated corruption and criminality, and how he would bring his experience to bear — ended in mere talk. If Buhari’s performance as president represents the strength of an experienced leader, may we never be unfortunate enough to have another “experienced” person rule us.
Since May 29, 2023, Nigerians have remained under the stranglehold of yet another supposedly experienced politician, with the populace’s misery deepening daily and no relief in sight. We have witnessed the “it is my turn” paradigm, and its ethnic corollary. We have observed the deliberate constriction of political space, enabling the ruling party and peripheral parties to operate unhindered while the major opposition navigates engineered obstacles.
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We have seen organised labour and civil society effectively silenced. We have seen a preference for unrealistic white elephant projects over feasible, high-impact interventions. We have experienced governance that prioritises the comfort of officials while the citizenry groans.
Atiku Abubakar is aware that political “experience” has not advanced Nigeria’s development or growth. It has yielded no progress in security, employment, food security, national unity, or the restoration of popular hope. The choreography of such experience will not produce harmonious outcomes, for the citizenry recalls past suffering and endures present hardship.
Nigerians possess a clear conception of the nation’s desired destination and the leadership required. In the words of former President Obasanjo: “I may not know who can be president, but I know who cannot be president.” The clouds of deceit are lifting from our political horizon.
Without bias, Mr. Peter Obi fits the picture of the kind of president Nigeria needs right now. He will unite us because he is not a tribalist. He can fight corruption because he is not corrupt. He is a prudent manager of resources and can drastically reduce the cost of governance. He has a verifiable background, known sources of income, and established businesses. He is healthy and believes in our health system, and he will be able to raise it to world standard.
Nigeria does not need an experienced politician right now. We need a God-fearing and prudent manager of resources — one with a verifiable record of prudent management. Not the kind of leader who, like Nero, fiddles while Rome burns. Not the leader who prioritises an expensive yacht and another presidential jet in austere times. Not the leader who stews in comfort while citizens are roasting.
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We need a president who is fit physically, mentally, and emotionally. The presidency should not become an old people’s home. The task of the office is tough and demanding. It requires mental, physical, and emotional alertness. We do not need a president who spends one week in Nigeria and another two weeks in London, France, or Dubai. We don’t need a president who enjoys the best medical care in Europe while citizens die daily in makeshift health centres because the health ministry cannot access more than 0.2% of its budget.
We need a president whose source of income and business dealings are a matter of public knowledge. Someone with no past criminal record. A true Nigerian who will be a source of inspiration to young people. We need a leader who will patch and mend all our fault lines and bring our nation together — not a tribal or religious bigot. When a nation faces a critical situation like we do right now, it is time to entrust leadership to its best brains and most patriotic citizens.
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We need the leadership of a corruption-free politician. Only a corruption-free person can fight corruption. In Nigeria, corruption is an elite corps with deep, demonic roots that can only be uprooted by a non-member. When the seven sons of Sceva in the Bible tried to cast out demons, the demon questioned their authority. It said: “Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?” Corruption, as a monster, can fight back against someone who is part of it. It cannot defeat a clean person.
Without bias, Mr. Peter Obi fits the picture of the kind of president Nigeria needs right now. He will unite us because he is not a tribalist. He can fight corruption because he is not corrupt. He is a prudent manager of resources and can drastically reduce the cost of governance. He has a verifiable background, known sources of income, and established businesses. He is healthy and believes in our health system, and he will be able to raise it to world standard.
Mr. Peter Obi is the best hope for now; any other candidate is a distraction.
Comrade Amechi is a Lagos-based trade union activist and pro-democracy advocate.
