Political analyst Henry Shield has described Peter Obi and his move to join the National Democratic Congress (NDC) ahead of the 2027 presidential election as a strategic error, adding that he is skeptical of former Bayelsa State governor Seriake Dickson’s supposed backing of the former Anambra State governor.
Shield made this remark on Wednesday while appearing on AIT’s Political Platform.
He questioned why the NDC has not openly promoted Obi as its presidential candidate, noting that other major political parties and their backers had already started pushing their candidates ahead of the election.
“When Tinubu was national leader, Bisi Akande was the one addressing the people. Tinubu was the one coordinating from the back. Dickson is in front of everything,” he said.
He said the NDC’s presidential candidate ought to be getting the same level of promotion that President Bola Tinubu enjoys within the All Progressives Congress (APC) and that Atiku Abubakar receives within the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
“Every party at this time … APC is marketing Tinubu. You have the Renewed Hope agenda. You have CityBoys or whatever they call themselves. Everything about ADC now is Atiku, but NDC has not yet accepted that Peter Obi is its presidential candidate.
“What does it cost the party to market a Peter, who is their candidate?” he asked.
Shield likewise voiced skepticism regarding Dickson’s dedication to Obi’s presidential campaign, even though the former governor had publicly declared his backing for the former Labour Party presidential candidate.
“I’m sorry, but I do not trust Dickson’s alleged support for Peter Obi. You are only dwelling on his press address. Go and watch everything,” he said.
According to him, Dickson had previously spoken about his own qualification to contest the presidency, a position he said raised questions about the former governor’s commitment to Obi.
“Dickson was on TV claiming that he was as qualified as Peter Obi to contest for president, which might be true,” he said.
Shield also took aim at the NDC’s recent public statements, noting that the party seemed more concerned with cautioning against efforts to seize control of its structure than with championing Obi before the election.
“All these press statements. Check their last 10 press statements. It’s been about, ‘You cannot come and hijack…’ Nobody is coming there to hijack your party. Some people misbehaved. The party structure should deal with them,” he said.
The analyst went on to caution that Obi’s choice to join the NDC might turn out to be expensive, maintaining that the former governor had committed a strategic blunder by opting for the party.
“Now, you have three months to an election. Peter made a very strategic error by going to NDC. I’m going to be on record as saying this. I’ve said it severally. He made a strategic error. He didn’t make a decision like a proper Nigerian politician. He’s not going to be allowed to breathe,” Shield said.
