Showunmi made the remarks while speaking on the state of opposition politics and permutations ahead of the 2027 general elections, particularly the position of the PDP and Obi’s political choices.
A former governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State, Dr Segun Showunmi, has described the former Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate Peter Obi as an unserious and “extremely irritatingly lazy” person when it comes to structural thinking and leadership responsibility.
Showunmi made the remarks while speaking on the state of opposition politics and permutations ahead of the 2027 general elections, particularly the position of the PDP and Obi’s political choices.
Speaking in an interview on Channels Television’s Hard Copy programme on Saturday, Showunmi lamented that the PDP has largely ceded ground in other regions and is now heavily dependent on the South, with Obi supposed to be what he described as the party’s “last card.”
“PDP has placed its hands completely in the South. PDP is now at last card, check up, and the only card they can play, ironically, is Peter Obi,” he said.
However, Showunmi argued that Obi lacks seriousness and a clear electoral pathway, insisting that the former Anambra governor made poor strategic decisions by leaving established political platforms.
Showunmi said, “But Peter is not serious. He doesn't even know where his pathway to victory is. Peter could have stayed in his LP, and there would have been a clear pathway to him.
“Every time Peter has to move, there is always somebody else but not Peter. I don't deal with that kind of laziness. Peter Obi is extremely lazy.
“When it comes to structural thinking, he is very lazy. He is lazy to think that if he had been in APGA all these years, he couldn't have built this crowd. He would have.
“It is laziness for him to think that if he were in PDP, he couldn't still have been, he would have. He is extremely irritatingly lazy to think that he can't solve the problems of the LP; he would have.”
Showunmi further criticised Obi’s association with other political actors, claiming he would struggle to win party primaries in such a setting.
“Now he has joined himself with people that I know he can't even win primaries in their midst,” Showunmi said.
“I know Atiku very well, and nobody takes him for granted when it comes to primaries. You know why, he has institutional experience of how these things have worked out since 1992.”
He warned against underestimating entrenched political interests within major parties, saying Obi’s confrontational posture would not work.
He said, “You don't come into a political party where that kind of man is running for a ticket, and you think you are just going to start screaming your balls, ‘I’m not going to agree’. Who is going to listen to that nonsense?
“Then you have to look at the other stakeholders that are there. There are the Buhari groupings that make up El-Rufai, Pantami, and all of that.
“You are going to bully those ones? Do they look like people that are easily bullied? So, what are you doing there?”
Showunmi also questioned Obi’s ability to manage the political energy and support base he garnered in the 2023 election.
“If your numbers are 6 million animated numbers that you got the last time, do you not understand that leaders have the responsibility to manage their house?” he asked.
“It is like the father of a house running out just because some kids are crying. Your duty is to attend to the problem. Some of them you have to punch. Some of them you have to scold. Some of them you have to pamper.”
While acknowledging Obi’s popularity and the enthusiasm of his supporters, Showunmi maintained that the former governor lacks organisational capacity.
“Peter isn't capable of organising anything apart from this silly show he does all over the world. But it is still something because there is animated energy there. There is enough energy, and luckily for him, there is also some entitlement legitimacy,” Showunmi said.
Turning to the PDP’s internal dynamics, Showunmi said the party has suffered significantly since losing support from the South-East and Obi’s departure from the party.
“You can't be in the Peoples Democratic Party of Nigeria and not know that Igbos are the ones that have been carrying that party. And once we lost them, look at us,” he said.
“If we can bring them back, and we can just say, ‘Peter, we are sorry about that’, then you will see immediately, all that energy will come back behind them, and they may be able to run their grassroots well, and Peter will not be competing with too many people for a ticket.”
He cautioned, however, that Obi should not view the South-East’s political strength as exclusively his, stressing that new power centres are emerging in the region.
“What Peter is not seeing is that every election needs to be re-measured. In measuring 2027, you have to understand that the South-East cannot keep suffering because of the ambition of one person,” Showunmi said.
“You also have to understand that that energy, that Igbos' energy, is no longer exclusively his. Now you have champions in the South-East like Dave Umahi. Underrate for your good.
“You have people like Soludo speaking the right tough language. Look at the other day, he just told them, you guys don't go to work on Monday, I'm shutting the market. That is how a leader behaves. A leader tells people of consequence,” he added.
Showunmi’s comments add to the growing debate over opposition strategy and leadership ahead of the 2027 elections, as parties and political figures reposition for what is expected to be a highly competitive contest.