25 January 2026
LAGOS, Nigeria — Hannatu Musawa, Nigeria’s Minister of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy, has claimed that former Anambra State Governor and Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, lacks the political machinery and regional support to win elections in the country’s core northern states.
Musawa, a staunch supporter of former President Muhammadu Buhari, drew parallels between Obi’s movement and Buhari’s early presidential campaigns, which struggled due to limited national reach.
“In the core North, there is nothing Peter Obi is going to do that will earn him election victories,” Musawa said in an interview with Seun Okinbaloye on Mic On. “Peter Obi reminds me of Buhari.”
She noted that despite Buhari’s immense popularity in the North from 2003 to 2011, he could not secure electoral victories without forming strategic alliances with influential southern politicians, particularly Bola Tinubu.
“We believed Buhari alone could win, but we couldn’t deliver on our own. It was only after building a bridge with President Tinubu, who delivered support from the South-West, that we were able to win,” Musawa explained.
Musawa insisted that entrenched regional voting patterns make it unlikely for Obi to make inroads in northern Nigeria.
Peter Obi, who emerged as a major political figure during the 2023 presidential election, continues to enjoy strong support among young voters and urban populations, especially in the South and parts of the Middle Belt.
