Obi wasn’t on the ballot, Labour Party result in Anambra Election not to be attributed to his Personality —Valentine Obienyem

Elections, in a sane democracy, ought to be moments of sober reflection – times when citizens pause to weigh their choices, guided by conscience and conviction. Yet, in our political culture, every election seems to leave behind recrimination rather than reflection. The just-concluded Anambra election is no exception.

Now that the dust has settled, one would expect thoughtful discussions on how the state might move forward – how the winner could be held accountable, how institutions could be strengthened, and how public welfare could be advanced. Unfortunately, what we see instead is the familiar pettiness of misplaced blame. Some voices, rather than addressing the moral and institutional lapses that plagued the process, have chosen to chase shadows and personalities.

A clear example was an interview Mr. Peter Obi granted before the election, in which he used a football metaphor to explain why he would not meddle in the Anambra polls. He said, in effect, that he was now playing in the Premier League of national politics and could not descend to the local divisions to contest space with those still struggling to find their footing there. To do so, he implied, would be like a football club that had earned promotion returning to play in the lower league – a form of political relegation.

In that single metaphor lay a world of meaning. It spoke of focus, discipline, and an understanding of one’s role in a larger national mission. Obi recognises that leadership, like football, has its tiers and timelines, and that the strength of a great player lies not in playing every match, but in knowing which game matters most to the overall victory.

I have seen many social media posts that illogically claim the Labour Party’s failure to win the polls means Peter Obi himself lost. Such reasoning is astonishing. Was Obi on the ballot? On what authority or logic should the party’s result be attributed to him personally? Like the statesman he is, Obi treated the election not as a do-or-die struggle but as an opportunity for the people to choose the person they preferred. The real question is: was the vote allowed to express that civilised choice?

During the week of the election, Mr. Obi was largely in the East, quietly engaged in his characteristic mission of service – visiting schools, supporting educational and health institutions, and strengthening the foundations of human capital as part of his lifelong contribution to nation-building. His diary for that week tells a story far nobler than the noise of politics.

On 1 November, he was at the College of Nursing Sciences, Amichi, where he donated N15 million to enhance their facilities. That same day, he proceeded to St. Felix Hospital, Nnewi, extending his generosity with a further N5 million in support. By 4 November, he was at St. Joseph’s School of Nursing and Midwifery, AdaziNnukwu, donating N15 million for infrastructural improvement. Passing through his hometown of Agulu, he stopped at a burnt school – Practising School, Agulu – where pupils were learning in the open, promising to begin reconstruction in January 2026. Later that day, he visited Iyi-Enu, Ogidi, where he again donated N15 million to strengthen training for nurses and midwives.

On 5 November, his journey took him to Oji River, where he gave N10 million to the School of Nursing, and to the College of Nursing and Midwifery, Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Ihiala, where he contributed another N15 million. True to his modest nature, he declined their request to name an administrative building after him, explaining that true philanthropy seeks not recognition but the common good. The following day, at the School of Nursing, Annunciation Hospital, Enugu, he donated N20 million towards ongoing projects. By week’s end, his total support to nursing institutions had reached N120 million – a silent testament to his conviction that a nation’s strength lies in the education and health of its people.

These visits were acts of genuine public service. At every school, Obi emphasised that education is the bedrock of progress and that the nation’s future depends on what its children learn and how they apply it. I was especially moved by the burnt school in Agulu, a scene that revealed not merely the follies of human preference but the moral urgency that compels men of vision to act.

Yet, on the eve of the election, troubling reports began to surface from Agulu and nearby communities. Accounts suggested that tensions were rising and that vote-buying was rampant. In many parts of the state, political operatives were offering between N20,000 and N30,000 per voter. In one village, N50,000 was said to have been earmarked per vote. Some locals even admitted they would take N10,000 from Obi’s party and vote accordingly. What should have been a moment of civic duty was instead tainted by a market of transactions.

On election day, Mr. Obi travelled from Onitsha to Agulu to cast his vote. When I told him what people had been saying, that since he was not on the ballot, they would vote for whoever paid them, he smiled and posed a moral question: If he used N10 million to buy 200 votes, and with that same amount rebuilt the burnt Practising School where children now learn under the rain, which was better? Must we destroy the future of our society for a transient benefit today?

His answer was unequivocal: he would rather lose ten times than buy votes once. “Let those who do otherwise keep their consciences,” he said. “I will not join them in destroying tomorrow for a fleeting advantage today.” That response goes beyond politics; it is a moral philosophy – a declaration that leadership rooted in conscience cannot coexist with corruption.

Vote-buying corrodes civic responsibility and reduces elections to mere market exchanges. It undermines the very idea that citizens should choose leaders on the basis of vision and competence. If we accept money for our votes, we surrender the future to the highest bidder.

The Anambra election, like many before it, produced a result. But that result must be read against the backdrop of endemic vote-buying, civic fatigue, and the politics of short-term gain. Blaming one man for his party’s performance misses the point. The deeper question is whether the people’s vote was free and fair – and if not, what we must do, as citizens and institutions, to rebuild the moral fabric of our democracy.

If we are serious about progress, we must confront vote-buying directly: strengthen electoral law enforcement, educate voters on the long-term cost of transactional politics, and hold accountable those who monetise elections.

Only then will elections become genuine exercises of choice, and leaders be judged not by the depth of their pockets but by the depth of their character.

©Valentine Obienyem Admin Ogidi