Ali Baba, the ace comedian, has revealed political strategies he claims were shared with him by former President Olusegun Obasanjo on how to become Nigeria’s president.
In an interview on Outside The Box, the 59-year-old entertainer said Obasanjo allegedly shared the strategies with him via chat because he thought he was venturing into politics and wanted to guide him.
Ali Baba claimed that Obasanjo emphasised the importance of gaining the support of seven governors, including the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, to clinch the presidential seat.
“I was speaking with Obasanjo one time, and he listed some things that are necessary in politics,” the comedian said while picking up his phone to show proof that he documented his conversation with the former president.
“He thought I was going into politics, so he was happy I was talking to him about politics. He said ‘Ali, I’m happy you are catching up with politics, but you still have a lot to learn about how governors and presidents are selected’.
“He said ‘you need seven governors to win an election. Lagos, Bayelsa, Delta, Rivers, Kano, Kaduna and the CBN governor’. Then I said ‘Kano and Kaduna don’t have money,’ he said ‘that is for the numbers’…
“You need 44 of the most popular senatorial districts.”
The comedian, born Atunyota Alleluya Akpobome, also alleged that Obasanjo mentioned the key tasks to be accomplished in the first term to increase the chances of being re-elected.
“You need to have awarded 10 contracts and 15% of that contract can give you a marginal impact at the polls. And you must award this contract in your first year of assumption of office,” he said.
“If you don’t do that, then, you can’t ask the people for anything because when you give them at the first year of your getting into office, when it’s time for elections you just tell them ‘Do you want to continue this contract or not’.”
Ali said Obasanjo emphasised the importance of making strategic appointments, including “the chief justice of Nigeria (CJN), controller-general of customs, head of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), inspector-general of police (IGP), and CBN governor”.
The comedian said Obasanjo allegedly advised on steering clear of corrupt governors who are “loaded” and can be “financially useful when needed”.
“He said you must name your CJN, IGP, controller general of customs, head of the NNPC, CBN governor, and you must suspend pending cases of corrupt past governors who are loaded,” he added.
“Don’t forget that those guys have war chests that they are just sitting and waiting for who they want to align with. No matter how much EFCC milks from them, they still have plenty.
“These are people who were sitting on a monthly federal allocation. Don’t forget that some states that when they get their federal allocation, they don’t touch it.
“They actually add to it because their state’s internally generated revenue is higher than what the federal government gives to them.
“So if the federal government gives them N3, they can add N4 to it and spend N7. When they leave office, EFCC can’t come looking for them because they added money to what the federal government gave them, but you see that internally generated revenue that is their sweat as it is called, it is their money, they generated it themselves. They can determine what they want to do with it.”
Ali Baba alleged that Obasanjo highlighted the importance of securing support from key figures, including foreign countries, the wealthy, religious leaders, and bloggers.
According to him, “he also advised infiltrating opposition parties and strategically influencing delegates by offering incentives to ensure loyalty during elections”.
“This is the meaty part of it, he says ‘Get US or China support because of their businesses in your country, they would support,” he said.
“Get National Association of Nigerian Students, market women, National Union of Road Transport Workers. Unsettle the organized labour. Get 10 of the richest Nigerians on your side. Infiltrate your opposition party and let them decamp for elections.
“So let me explain. You have your party and I want to infiltrate the party. I will send my people to leave my own party and join your own party before the elections. So when the time of election comes, they will then disrupt the whole thing.
“They will probably be the ones they will put in charge of electioneering campaign and you won’t know that the reason they decamped was to make sure that your own campaign doesn’t succeed. So when you are planning, they inform their original party.
“Obasanjo continued saying infiltrate the opposition party, but delegates one year before your congress.
“So I asked how do you buy delegates then he said “you know who and who that would be selected as delegates, give two of his daughters job in the bank, give another’s wife a shop, sponsor another’s trip to Hajj so when the time for election comes and you say this is the person I’m supporting, they won’t mess up because of what you have done.
“While some people are trying to raise money to give dollars, you already have bought their loyalty since. Have a hand in appointing all parties’ chairmen.
“Secure INEC and state rec, blogs, social media, religious leaders, royal fathers, appointment of board of chairman and DGs. Get four constitutional lawyers on retainship.”
