by Godwin Orozo:
Former Chief Executive Officer of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Professor Usman Yusuf, says Peter Obi faces serious electability challenges in Northern Nigeria, citing what he described as Obi’s controversial record as governor of Anambra State and his unresolved political associations.
Yusuf made the remarks during a political interview on Trust TV, where he detailed historical grievances he believes will lead northern voters — particularly northern Muslims — to closely scrutinise and potentially reject Obi’s presidential ambitions ahead of the 2027 general election.
The former NHIS boss accused Obi of pushing Northerners out of Anambra State during his tenure as governor, alleging that his administration compelled northern residents in the state to register for identity cards capturing their names, places of origin, and occupations.
“The evil that men do lives after them,” Yusuf said, insisting that northern voters will not forget these actions when Obi seeks national office.
Yusuf also said the North would interrogate Obi’s association with the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a group proscribed as a terrorist organisation, and his refusal to publicly distance himself from it. He further cited Obi’s repeated calls against the continued detention of IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu, saying the Labour Party chieftain must address northerners directly on the matter.
Drawing a comparison, Yusuf said: “If they arrest notorious bandit leader Bello Turji and I come out to say Turji is not a terrorist, I don’t think anybody will vote for me, even here in the North.”
He further faulted the character of Obi’s 2023 campaign, describing it as narrowly targeted at Igbo and Christian voters. According to Yusuf, Obi’s church-to-church campaign appearances and rhetoric urging “Christians to wake up and take back their country” created a sense of exclusion among other groups.
Yusuf maintained that Obi still has unanswered questions to address before northern voters can warm to his candidacy, adding that only Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso could meaningfully assist his prospects in the region.
