Obi Labours at Chatham House

The presidential flag bearer of the Labour Party bolstered his already stellar reputation with an electric outing at Chatham House, but did he tell us anything about himself and his policies we did not already know?

Written by Chukwudi Ukonne

Feb 1, 2023

Graphics by Onyinye Dike

In February 2015, Rtd. General Muhammadu Buhari addressed an excited audience of admirers and supporters at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, also known as Chatham House. In so doing, he pioneered the trend of aspiring Nigerian leaders making the political pilgrimage to the institute to discuss politics, policy and matters of national significance.

While it is unclear exactly what effects (if any) these Chatham house engagements have on the outcome of the elections, the platform represents a good opportunity for aspirants to bolster their reputation by engaging with foreign stakeholders and Nigerians in diaspora. The current election cycle has seen all Nigeria’s major contenders for the presidency (bar one) give lectures at Chatham House.

First, it was Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the APC and two weeks ago, Rabiu Kwankwaso of the ANPP followed suit. Sandwiched between both appearances was Peter Obi’s January 16 address, which generated considerable excitement amongst critics and supporters alike with over 60,000 live subscribers tuning in across digital platforms.

The Chatham House speeches are akin to a performance. Like an actor on a stage, the goal is twofold; to inspire and to inform. A politician, like an actor, must rely on his skills as a communicator to sell a message; and the efficacy of his performance is as dependent on the delivery as it is on the content.

With this taken into account, Obi’s speech started out rigid and laboured. His inability to strike a steady rhythm belied the possibility that the speech was sparsely rehearsed, if at all. Compared to his rousing speech at the Nigerian Bar Association Conference in 2022, it is clear that Obi’s oratory prowess lies in improvisation.

However, once he had satisfied the formality of his address and began to engage the crowd, the subject matter expertise, easy charm and charisma his supporters have become accustomed to rose to the fore. Obi spoke for an hour and 12 minutes, responding to questions from the audience after his address. He touched on several issues of national interest, including the economy, security, climate change and education. But have we learned anything new about Peter Obi and his policies due to his appearance in Chatham House?

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About the Author

Chukwudi Ukonne

is a writer, designer and creative strategist with a keen interest in Nigerian history. He is a pioneer candidate of the inaugural cohort of The School of Politics, Policy and Governance.

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Obi Labours at Chatham House