Peter Obi Biography | Education | Age | Career

Peter Obi whose full name is Peter Gregory Obi is a Nigerian businessman and politician who served as governor of Anambra from March to November 2006, February to May 2007, and from June 2007 to March 2014. In May 2022, he became the Labour Party candidate for President of Nigeria in the 2023 presidential election.

In this article, we will be discussing, who Peter Obi is and everything about him including, his education, career, age, net worth, and social media handles, among others.

Peter Obi Early Life and Background

Peter Obi was born in Onitsha in 1961. Peter Gregory Obi was nicknamed ‘OKWUTE’ meaning ‘ROCK’ in Igbo language. He is a native of Agulu in Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra State. He had his secondary education at Christ the King Onitsha, before proceeding to the University Of Nigeria and graduated in 1984. Afterwards he entered business and banking, eventually as time passes, he was rising to hold several high-ranking executive positions at banks.

By the early 2000s, Peter Obi was the chairman of Fidelity Bank before leaving the position to enter politics. Obi ran for governor in 2003, as a member of the All Progressives Grand Alliance but his main opponent was unlawfully declared victor. After three years of legal battles, Obi was declared winner in 2006 and assumed office in March 2006. He was impeached in November the same year, before his impeachment was overturned and he returned to office in February the next year, 2007.

Peter Obi was removed again when the 2007 Anambra State gubernatorial election; the election was held in accordance to the timeframe of the normal Nigerian electoral calendar of a four year election interval, which in this case dated back to his first, previously annulled election. But the judiciary intervened again and ruled that he should be allowed to complete a full four-year term. In 2010, he won re-election to a second term. Obi’s terms were marked by improvements in state finances, education, and healthcare.

After leaving office in 2014, Obi gained new status as an advocate for good governance and national political figure after decamping to the Peoples Democratic Party in 2014.

In 2019, he was selected as the vice presidential candidate in the presidential election running alongside Atiku Abubakar, but lost to incumbent president Muhammadu Buhari and vice president Yemi Osinbajo.

In May 2022, Obi became the presidential candidate of the LP in the upcoming 2023 general elections, after defecting from the PDP. Obi’s presidential campaign has been described as populist and has been noted for its support among many young Nigerians, who have been nicknamed “Obi-dients”.

Peter Obi Age

Peter Obi was born on 19 July 1961 in Onitsha, Anambra State.

Peter Obi Education

Peter Obi attended Lagos Business School, where he completed the Chief Executive Program, Harvard Business School, where he completed two major programs, the London School of Economics, Columbia Business School, and the International Institute for Management Development where he received certificates in the Senior Executive Program and the Chief Executive Officer Program. He also attended the Kellogg School of Management of Northwestern University, Said Business School of Oxford University and the Judge Business School of Cambridge University.

Peter Obi attended Christ the King College, Onitsha where obtained his West Africa Secondary School Certificate (WASC). He later gained admission into University of Nigeria, Nsukka in 1980 and bagged Bachelor of Art (BA) in Philosophy in 1984.

Peter Obi attended Lagos business school, Nigeria where he did his Chief Executive Program. He also attended Harvard business school, Boston, USA, where he did two programs (Mid to Mid Marketing).

List of schools Peter Obi attended

London School of Economics (Financial Mgmt/Business Policy)
Columbia Business School, New York, U.S.A. (Marketing Management)
Institute for management development, Switzerland where he also got two certificates in Senior Executive Program and Break-Through Program for CEOs.
Kellogg Graduate School of Management, U.S.A. (Advanced Executive Program)
Kellogg School of Management U.S.A. (Global Advanced Mgmt Program)
Oxford University: Said Business School, (Advanced Mgmt& Leadership Program)
Cambridge University: George Business School (Advanced Leadership Program)

Peter Obi Career(Pre-political career)

Obi was a businessman before he ventured into politics. According to Peter Obi, he started his life as a trader who was being born into trading family before he ventured into the corporate world. Before his political career, he held many leadership positions in some private establishments.

Some of the companies he served includes: Next International Nigeria Ltd, Chairman and Director of Guardian Express Mortgage Bank Ltd, Guardian Express Bank Plc, Future View Securities Ltd, Paymaster Nigeria Ltd, Chams Nigeria Ltd, Data Corp Ltd and Card Centre Ltd. He was the youngest chairman of Fidelity Bank Plc and many more positions that are not listed here.

Peter Obi’s pre-political positions include:

Former Chairman: Fidelity Bank Plc.
Former Chairman: Guardian Express Mortgage Bank, Ltd.
Former Chairman: Future Views Securities, Ltd.
Former Chairman: Paymaster Nigeria Plc.
Former Chairman: Next International (Nigeria) Ltd
Former Director: Guardian Express Bank Plc.
Former Director: Chams Nigeria Plc.
Former Director: Emerging Capital Ltd
Former Director: Card Centre Plc.
Member, Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG)
Member, Nigerian Chartered Institute of Bankers
Member, British Institute of Directors (IOD)

Peter Obi Political Career

Peter Obi contested in the Anambra State Governorship Election as a candidate for the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) party in 2003, but his opponent, Chris Ngige of the People’s Democratic Party, was declared winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

After nearly three years of litigation, Ngige’s victory was overturned by the Court of Appeal on 15 March 2006. Obi took office for on 17 March 2006. On 2 November 2006, he was impeached by the state house of assembly after seven months in office and was replaced the next day by Virginia Etiaba, his deputy, making her the first-ever female governor in Nigeria’s history. Obi successfully challenged his impeachment and was re-instated as the governor on 9 February 2007 by the Court of Appeal sitting in Enugu. Etiaba handed power back to him after the court ruling.

Peter Obi once again left office on 29 May 2007 following the General Elections, in which Andy Uba was declared the winner by the electoral body. Obi returned to the courts once more, this time contending that the four-year tenure he had won in the 2003 elections only started to run when he took office in March 2006. On 14 June 2007 the Supreme Court of Nigeria upheld Obi’s contention and returned Obi to office. This brought to an abrupt end the tenure of Obi’s successor, Andy Uba whose 14 April 2007 election the Supreme Court nullified on the grounds that Obi’s four-year tenure should have remained undisturbed until March 2010.

On 7 February 2010, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Peter Obi the winner of the 2010 Anambra State Gubernatorial election, where he defeated Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, former governor, CBN. This election victory gave Governor Obi an additional four years as the governor of Anambra State. On 17 March 2014 Peter Obi served out his second term and handed over the governorship to Willie Obiano.

After the 2015 General Election, President Goodluck Jonathan appointed Peter Obi as the chairman of the Nigerian Security and Exchange Commission (SEC).

On 12 October 2018, Peter Obi was named as the running mate to Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party’s Presidential Candidate in the 2019 presidential election. As a candidate for Vice President, Obi opposed proposals for a standardized national minimum wage, arguing that different states should have different minimum wages The Abubakar/Obi ticket came second.

On 24 March 2022, Peter Obi declared his intention to run for the position of President of Nigeria under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, but later pulled out and announced he would be running under the Labour Party platform instead. Some time ago, Peter Obi wrote to the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party on 24 May to resign his membership. Obi reportedly complained of massive bribing of delegates and vote buying at party’s presidential primary, citing the existence of a party clique collaborating against him.

Obi’s business background and status as a major candidate not affiliated with either of Nigeria’s two main parties has drawn comparisons with Emmanuel Macron’s successful 2017 French presidential candidacy. Obi has expressed admiration for Macron and was among the officials who received Macron during his visit to Lagos.

Political support

Younger generations under 30 proved to be some of the biggest Obi’s supporters, showing their support via social media and protests and street marches. Aisha Yesufu, a prominent activist noted as the cofounder of the BringBackOurGirls movement and a supporter of the End SARS campaign, endorsed Obi in her first-ever endorsement of a presidential candidate.

Young supporters of Obi’s campaign have been nicknamed “Obi-dients”. In an article in Business Day, it was argued that:

“[The Obi-Dients] are attracted by Peter Obi’s ideology of frugality, economic production rather than the ostentatious consumerism and waste, and resourceful management and investment in key sectors, for economic growth and development.”

Commentators have argued that Obi’s third party candidacy appeals to young voters dissatisfied with the two major parties, which has resulted in the “biggest political movement in recent Nigerian history.” Before campaigns were officially kicked off, Obi’s supporters held a series of One Million Man Marches in several Nigerian cities including Makurdi, Calabar, Lafia, Port Harcourt, Afikpo, Owerri, Enugu, Auchi, Abuja, Kano, Ilorin, Abakaliki and Ibadan. The marches were not part of the official campaigns; as they were led by volunteer Obi supporters and not Obi’s inhouse team or political party. The marches experienced massive turnouts.

Selection of running mate

Physician Doyin Okupe initially served as the temporary running mate of Obi until a substantive candidate could be selected. In the run-up to the final selection of a running mate, media outlets reported that there was an effort to have former Senator Shehu Sani of Kaduna State serve as Obi’s running mate.

On 8 July 2022, Obi unveiled his running mate, Senator Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed. Speaking on his choice of the vice presidential candidate, he stated as follows:

“This is our right to secure, unite and make Nigeria productive. And you can do that without having people who have similar visions, ideas and are prepared for the task. So, I have the honour today to present to you, God willing, Nigeria’s next vice president in the person of Senator Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed.”

Peter Obi Political positions

National security

As a candidate, Obi has publicly demanded that the federal government name individuals responsible for financing terrorism and oil theft in Nigeria. In 2020, Obi expressed support for the End SARS social movement against police brutality.

Women’s issues

Obi has stated that he believes women are less prone to corruption in public office than men, and states that his gubernatorial staff were predominantly women. Obi has said he wants to do away with the Office of the First Lady of Nigeria, stating “It was not my wife that was voted in but himself. the Ministry of Women Affairs was enough to take good care of women.”

In commemoration of International African Women’s Day, Obi stated: “In Nigeria, we advocate continually greater women participation in leadership, nation-building and society, which begins with unfettered social inclusion, gender mainstreaming and empowerment.”

Peter Obi Awards and honors

These are some of the notable awards of Peter Obi:

Sun Man of the Year (2007)
This Day’s Most Prudent Governor in Nigeria (2009)
Daily Champion’s Nigeria’s Most Trustworthy Governor (2009)
West Africa ICT Development Award for Governor of the Year (2010)
Zik Leadership Prize (2011)
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Best Performing Governor on Immunization in South-East Nigeria (2012)
Ezeife Leadership Foundation’s Leadership and Good Governance Award (2012)
Methodist Church of Nigeria’s Golden Award on Prudence (2012); Business Hallmark Newspaper’s Man of the Year (2012)
Silverbird’s Man of the Year (2013)
The Voice Newspaper’s Award for Outstanding Example in Leadership and Governance (2014)
Daily Champion’s Most Outstanding Igbo Man of the Decade (2014)
Distinguished Alumnus Award – Lagos Business School Alumni Association (LBSAA) (2014)
Nigerian Library Association’s Golden Merit Award (2014)
Pontifical Equestrian Order of Saint Sylvester Pope and Martyr (2014)
Catholic Diocese of Onitsha’s Golden Jubilee Award (2015)
This Day’s Governor of the Decade (2020)
Leadership Excellence Award’s Man of the Year (2022)

These are some of the notable honors and achievements of Peter Obi:

He was the first gubernatorial candidate in Nigeria to legally challenge to its logical conclusion, his governorship electoral victory that was denied him. He won in the Courts and reclaimed his mandate.
He was the first Governor in Nigeria to legally challenge his wrongful impeachment and was reinstated by the Courts.
He was the first Governor in Nigeria to seek the interpretation of tenures of Governors when INEC allowed elections to take place in Anambra State when his tenure had not expired; the election already concluded was cancelled and he was allowed to complete his tenure.
He was the first Governor to serve a 2nd term in both the new and old Anambra State, that is, almost 40 years after creation of the State.
He was the first Governor, whilst still in Office, to be appointed a Special Adviser to the President.
He was the first serving Governor to be appointed into the Presidential Economic Management Team.
He was among the first Governors to be honoured with a National Award in 2011, while still in office.
Though the only Governor whose political party was in government in only one State, he was elected Vice-Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum twice.

Peter Obi Fundamental Achievements

1. Anambra was the first State to commence Sub-Sovereign Wealth savings, the first of its kind in Sub-Saharan Africa. At a time many other Governors were leaving huge debts, I left the equivalent of $500 million Dollars in investment as well as local and foreign currency, including $156 million in Dollar-denominated bonds.

2. For the first time in the history of Anambra State, Ambassadors and High Commissioners of notable countries such as United States, Britain, Russia, European Union, South Africa, Belgium, Israel, the Netherlands, Canada, among others, visited the State. Before his tenure, Anambra was practically a pariah state blacklisted by the Diplomatic Corps and international development partners.

3. Development partners such as UNDP, UNICEF, the World Bank, DFID, the European Union etc., which hitherto were not in Anambra State started working with the State. Anambra was consistently adjudged one of the best states in development partnership and commitment to reforms for good governance.

4. He was recognised as Best Governor by the Millennium Development Goals Office (OSSAP-MDGs) and the UNDP in the implementation of their programmes in Nigeria.

5. The Nigerian Debt Management Office (DMO) rated Anambra as the least indebted state in Nigeria. In spite of visible and measurable achievements recorded in various sectors, the State under him did not borrow or raise bonds for her various projects.

6. The Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria rated Anambra State as the most financially stable state in the country.

7. The State’s ground-breaking return of schools to their original owners – Voluntary Agencies (Churches) on 1st January 2009, and subsequent partnership with the Agencies in Education, saw the State move from 24th position out of 36 States to Number One in National Examination Council (NECO) and West African Examination Council (WAEC) examinations for three consecutive years. This made the World Bank to commission a study, led by the renowned Prof. Paul Collier of Oxford University, on this revolutionary partnership and phenomenal achievement.

8. The State also entered into strategic partnership with the Churches in the Health sector. This symbiotic relationship resulted in a tremendous boost to health care because of the services offered by health institutions owned by Voluntary Agencies, while the State restored grants to the agencies and made available to them more than 50 million Dollars in various types of support.

9. Through partnership with the Church in the Health sector, his Government funded the transformation of -:

a: Iyienu Hospital, Ogidi
b: Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Ihiala
c: St Charles Borromeo Hospital, Onitsha
d: Holy Rosary Hospital, Waterside, Onitsha
e: St. Joseph Hospital, Adazi-Nnukwu.

Peter Obi Controversies On Pandora Papers

In October 2021, there were controversies about Peter Obi on Pandora Papers. The result of the Pandora Papers leaks, the Citizendiaryng reported on Obi’s involvement in offshore companies in tax havens such as the British Virgin Islands and Barbados. Obi appeared to have made shell companies in the 1990s with the Barbados-based Beauchamp Investments Limited and UK-based Next International (UK) Limited being tied back to Obi and his family.

This was before he held any political office in Nigeria. Further reporting showed that in 2010 as well, Obi had Access International help him set up and manage Gabriella Investments Limited, a company in the British Virgin Islands named after Obi’s daughter. One of the directors was also the director of a Belize-based shell company that was issued 50,000 shares in Gabriella Investments.

In 2017, Obi reorganized the company under the name PMGG Investments Limited and created a trust named The Gabriella Settlement which became the sole shareholder in PMGG Investments Limited. Obi was not holding any political position at this time.

According to the Premium Times report which claimed that Obi had broken several laws due to his business dealings. The report claimed that firstly, Obi remained as director of Next International (UK) Limited while serving as Governor of Anambra State, which is in direct violation of Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act. However Obi described that claim to be misleading and wrong in an interview with Arise News stating that he resigned from all companies before taking the office of Governor of Anambra State.

Secondly, it claimed that Obi’s non-declaration of his offshore companies broke the Nigerian Constitution’s provision that require public officers to declare all their properties, assets, and liabilities. Lastly, both the Constitution and the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act outlaw a public officer from holding a bank account outside Nigeria and the leaks made it clear that Obi maintained his foreign accounts while serving as Governor.

After the revelations, civil society groups pushed for investigations into Obi as reporters queried the EFCC on if the commission would start investigating Obi. A few days after the report, Obi responded by claiming that he did not break any laws and clarified that the accounts’ money was accrued from his time as a businessman. The EFCC invited him for questioning later in October 2021 after Buhari directed all anti-corruption agencies to investigate those named in the leaks. However, no criminal case has ever been filed against Obi.

Peter Obi Relationships And Family

Peter Obi is married to Margaret Brownson Obi in 1992. They have two children together – a male and a female named Oseloka and Gabriella respectively. Obi is a Catholic of Igbo descent.

Peter Obi Wife

Margaret Brownson Obi is married to Peter Obi in 1992. Margaret Brownson Usen was born on September 9th and hails from Calabar in Cross River State.

Margaret Brownson Obi is a mom of two; Gabriella Nwamaka Frances Obi and Gregory Peter Oseloka Obi. Both kids are reportedly based outside the country.

Margaret Brownson Obi is also said to be the brain behind her husband’s National Gender Affirmative Action, a cause aimed at ensuring women earned a seat in Obi’s cabinet while he was the Anambra governor. Her support for causes relating to women and children is unwavering.

Margaret Brownson Obi is a women’s rights activist. She saw to the creation of family courts in the state’s Ministry of Women’s Affairs and Social Development (MWAPD) which is aimed at dealing with issues involving the abuse of children and the violation of women’s rights; especially widows ensuring they inherit their deceased husband’s properties.

Peter Obi Children

Gregory Peter Oseloka Obi

Peter Obi’s son, Gregory Peter Oseloka Obi, is a Philosophy graduate from Bristol University, England. He runs a movie theatre and production company in the UK and has also had acting roles in a few Hollywood movies. Gregory has also worked as a business development executive at Konbini in London and as an assistant production manager at Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF), Lagos.

Gabriella Nwamaka Frances Obi

Peter Obi’s daughter, Gabriella Nwamaka Frances Obi is married to Chicago-raised businessman Chukwuma Okeke-Ojiudu. He is also the supervisor of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board – (NCDMB). The couple had their wedding in April 2022.

Peter Obi Parents

Peter Obi’s parents; Josephat (now late) and Mrs. Agnes Obi were good Christians who resided in Onitsha early enough before the civil war. The father, Josephat made money early in life and owned the popular Ideal Soul Super Market in Onitsha then. Agulu people pioneered super market and confectionary/ bakery business in Nigeria and they have remained leaders in that sector till date.

Peter Obi Siblings

Peter Obi, second born of the family has two brothers and two sisters as siblings. They are:

Bibiana Adani (elder sister)
Fabian Chinwuba Obi
Josephat Ndibe Obi
Martina Obi.

Bibiana Adani, his elder sister is late. She reportedly died from an undisclosed ailment and was buried at her husband’s place in 2018 at Adani Village, Ukana in Enugu state.

Fabian Obi, Peter’s younger brother according to some sources is an ordained Reverend Father. On October 2020, he was appointed as the acting rector of the Blessed Iwene Tansi Major Seminary in Onitsha.

Ndibe Obi, his other younger brother is reportedly managing one of Peter Obi’s companies.

Details about the youngest sibling and sister alive, Martina Obi, is not publicly available.

Peter Obi Profile

Full NAME	Peter Gregory Obi
ALSO KNOWN AS	Peter Obi
DATE OF BIRTH	Born 19 July 1961
STATE & ORIGIN	Agulu in Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra State
NATIONALITY	Nigerian
OCCUPATION(S)	Entrepreneur and a politician
RELATIONSHIP STATUS	Married to Margaret Brownson Obi
NET WORTH	Peter Obi’s Net worth is estimated over $20 million

Peter Obi Net Worth

Peter Obi is a very wealthy billionaire but his net worth isn’t certain. Some sources estimated Peter Obi to have a net worth of about $20 million and above.

When Peter Obi appeared on “The candidate”, an NTA presidential programme in 2019, he said; “I left office in this country, leaving Anambra State with investment in cash of N75billion. The day I left office, we had $56million, N12billion in Fidelity Bank.; in Diamond Bank, $50million, N12billion; in Access Bank, $50million, N12billion for Anambra State.

Peter Obi Cars

Peter Obi, who is very rich and important, can buy the finest automobiles. Cars with unique and plentiful features were believed to be part of his official transportation throughout his time as Governor. The following high-end automobiles may be found in Peter Obi’s collection:

Mercenary AMG C63 Mercedes

Peter Obi’s business and political engagements in Nigeria necessitate the use of an AMG C63. The Mercedes Benz AMG is available in three body styles: coupe, sedan, and cabriolet.

SiriusXM satellite radio, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, and Bluetooth audio streaming are all included in the price of this vehicle. The base price of this vehicle is 65 million NGN.

Lexus LX 570

Lexus is known for making high-quality automobiles with a focus on safety, efficiency, and comfort. The Lexus LX 570 is one of Lexus’ hardest cars, with a 5.7-liter V8 engine good for 403 lb-ft of torque. The vehicle has a sticker price of N75 million.

Toyota Land Cruiser

Land cruisers from Toyota are instantly recognizable due to their large, boxy design. Toyota Land Cruiser often referred to as the “King of SUVs,” is an excellent vehicle to own. The Land Cruiser’s 262 bhp at 3400 rpm and 650 Nm of peak torque at 1600 rpm horsepower and torque ratings can only be expected from a strong V8 engine. Costs vary from 55 to 70 million Nigerian Naira (NGN).

Peter Obi Houses

In Enugu, Nigeria, he is said to possess a home worth 650 million NGN. It’s also been reported that he has a residence in London and a number of other residences in Nigeria. Peter Obi is the proud owner of a multi-million naira mansion in his hometown.