By Olumide Olanike D. | Fact Frontier.
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Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the political landscape is already heating up, with former Anambra State Governor and prominent opposition figure, Mr. Peter Obi, at the center of a renewed storm. In a recent post on his X handle, Obi highlighted a disturbing trend in Nigerian politics: the financial exploitation of youth by politicians to execute online harassment campaigns.
Young Nigerians are being paid as little as ₦20,000 by politicians to insult you on social media even while you’re fighting for their future,Obi posted, shedding light on a practice he has consistently condemned.
This statement is not new for the former presidential candidate. During a speech at Johns Hopkins University in Washington, D.C., in April 2025, Obi elaborated on this "transactional politics," stating,
In the transactional politics of Nigeria, some people pay them to cause confusion. Go to social media, those that are being paid ₦20,000, ₦40,000 monthly to abuse you are the same youths you’re fighting for, for their lives.He argued that this manipulation betrays the youth, trading their long-term future for short-term financial gain, and urged a shift toward “politics driven by knowledge, not stipends to insult those seeking change”.
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• Obi's comment on poor governance sparks a political firestorm.
The 'Bitter Peter' Label and Accusations of Tribalism
The former Labour Party candidate has recently faced a cascade of insults and political challenges from various quarters. One of the most prominent incidents involved a personal attack from a presidential aide. Following Obi’s criticism of the Federal Government over the Super Eagles' unpaid bonuses, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Bayo Onanuga, labeled him "Mr. Bitter Peter" on social media, accusing him of weaponizing national issues. The comment sparked widespread backlash, with many Nigerians defending Obi. One user, Felix Ikechukwu, captured the sentiment of many, posting,
I can even change my name to Bitter Peter provided Nigeria gets better… provided our Super Eagles get their allowances as agreed, Mr. Peter Obi cares less about the insults.
Adding to the fray, former presidential aide Reno Omokri launched a scathing attack, accusing Obi of being “desperate to be President at all costs” and labeling him a “tribal irredentist”. Omokri alleged that Obi selectively comments on fire outbreaks in regions outside the South-East while ignoring similar tragedies in his home state of Anambra, accusing him of exploiting national tragedies for political gain. This follows a history of verbal clashes between both figures.
Navigating Internal Coalition Crises
Beyond external insults, Obi is navigating significant challenges within the opposition coalition. Following his defection to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in December 2025, tensions have emerged regarding his presidential ambition. While some aides of President Bola Tinubu, like Daniel Bwala, have dismissed Obi’s chances, claiming he would be denied the presidential ticket, a more nuanced internal struggle exists within the ADC itself. Reports indicate that some northern leaders of the ADC are displeased with the overbearing attitude of Obi’s loyalists, known as the 'Obidients,' who insist he must clinch the presidential ticket.
In response to reports of his supporters verbally attacking other opposition leaders like former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Obi was quick to disown such actions. In a viral video, he stated emphatically,
These are criminals who are not Obidient people. You don’t see anybody calling the other a bad name. You have never seen me call anybody a bad name.He stressed his respect for elder statesmen in the coalition, including Atiku, Rotimi Amaechi, and Nasir El-Rufai, calling them his colleagues and elder brothers.
As Obi continues his consultations and criticisms of the current administration—most recently slamming the Senate's rejection of mandatory electronic transmission of results as an “assault on Nigeria’s democracy” —the barrage of attacks against him appears to be intensifying. Whether this is a sign of a jittery establishment or the natural friction of political alignment remains to be seen, but for Obi, the focus remains on his message: a "New Nigeria" is possible, and the fight for it must not be derailed by the politics of bitterness and manipulation.
