Clement Jimbo, the lawmaker representing Abak/Etim Ekpo/Ika Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, has stated that Peter Obi, the former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, lacks the structure and political stability needed to win elections in Nigeria.
Speaking in an interview with Cable News, Jimbo reacted to Obi’s involvement with the African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition, arguing that his political movements show a lack of consistency and long-term strategy. According to him, winning elections requires stability, patience, and commitment to building a political base within a single party over time qualities he believes Obi has not demonstrated.
Jimbo explained that although movement is a sign of growth, direction is what truly matters in politics. He used the analogy of someone trying to catch a flight: no matter how fast you are moving, if you are not heading toward the airport, you will never make the flight. In the same way, he argued that Obi may be politically active and visible, but his actions are not aligned with the path that leads to electoral victory. In his view, Obi’s political journey shows motion without clear direction toward building a winning structure.
He pointed out that Obi has moved across several political parties over the years, including APGA, PDP, Labour Party, and now alignment with ADC. Jimbo argued that this pattern of defections prevents him from developing strong party loyalty, grassroots structures, and long-term consolidation. According to him, political success depends heavily on stability, internal organization, and sustained party-building efforts, not just popularity or public visibility.
Jimbo also questioned the strength of Obi’s grassroots support, claiming that much of his popularity exists mainly online. He argued that elections are not won on social media but at polling units, where real votes are cast. Using his own constituency as an example, he said there was no visible Labour Party agent in his polling unit during elections, which, in his view, reflects a lack of organizational presence. He stressed that any serious candidate must have party agents across thousands of polling units nationwide to monitor and secure votes.
Furthermore, he challenged Obi’s supporters, especially those active on social media, to demonstrate real electoral participation by knowing their polling units and turning out to vote. He argued that online activism does not automatically translate into electoral success and claimed that this disconnect became clear during legal challenges, when supporters struggled to produce concrete polling unit results.
To contrast Obi’s approach, Jimbo referenced the political journey of Muhammadu Buhari, who remained loyal to his party structure for years, contested multiple elections, and gradually built a strong political base through consistency and persistence. According to him, this kind of long-term commitment, sacrifice, and party loyalty is what eventually leads to success in Nigerian politics.
In conclusion, Jimbo maintained that Peter Obi’s frequent party changes, weak grassroots organization, and reliance on online popularity make it difficult for him to win any election in Nigeria, insisting that noise and visibility alone are not substitutes for structure, stability, and strategic political building.
