A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Nigeria’s Political Machinery
In a recent YouTube interview on the Outside the Box Podcast, veteran Nigerian comedian Atunyota Akpobome, popularly known as Alibaba, lifted the lid on a candid conversation he once had with former President Olusegun Obasanjo—one that painted a raw, if not unsettling, picture of the inner workings of presidential politics in Nigeria.
Speaking with the relaxed wit he's known for, Alibaba recounted how Obasanjo laid out a surprisingly blunt strategy for clinching Nigeria’s highest office. “Ali, I’m glad you’re paying attention to politics,” Alibaba quoted the former president as saying. “But you’ve got plenty more to learn—especially about what it really takes to get someone elected.”
According to Alibaba, Obasanjo detailed a formula involving key political power brokers. “He told me you need seven specific governors behind you: Lagos, Bayelsa, Delta, Rivers, Kano, Kaduna, and even the CBN governor. That’s your launchpad.”
When Alibaba raised the point that states like Kano and Kaduna aren’t necessarily known for financial muscle, Obasanjo reportedly responded with a politician’s pragmatism: “It’s not about the money—it’s about the numbers. And numbers, after all, translate into influence.”
The conversation didn’t stop there. Alibaba shared more from the former president’s alleged blueprint, this time focusing on contract politics.
“You have to award at least 10 government contracts in your first year,” Obasanjo supposedly advised. “Even a modest 15% from each deal creates political leverage down the line.” When election season rolls around, Obasanjo reportedly explained, you remind the beneficiaries: Do you want these contracts to continue or not?
Another eyebrow-raising tactic discussed in the chat involved using corruption cases as bargaining chips. “Suspend probes against former governors with deep pockets,” Alibaba recalled. “Those men are sitting on war chests, waiting for the right candidate to support.”
He went on to describe a situation where some governors reportedly hoard both federal allocations and internally generated revenue. “They don’t even touch their federal money—they spend their own, and when EFCC comes knocking, they just point to what they added, not what they took,” he said, painting a picture of calculated financial insulation.
Alibaba also shared insights into how foreign powers, business elites, and grassroots organizations can shape electoral outcomes.
“Get backing from global heavyweights like the U.S. or China,” Obasanjo allegedly advised, “because of their business interests in Nigeria.”
Locally, the power map expands: “Secure support from student unions, market women, transport unions, and even disorganize labor forces,” Alibaba claimed. “Bring on board ten of the country’s wealthiest figures, infiltrate rival parties, and start buying loyalty a full year ahead of party congresses.”
When asked how one goes about “buying” congresses, the explanation Alibaba gave sounded more like something out of a political thriller than a democratic playbook.
“You find out who the delegates are,” he explained. “Give someone’s daughter a bank job, open a shop for another’s wife, send someone’s uncle on a Hajj pilgrimage. By the time elections come around, their loyalty is already sealed.”
Alibaba also highlighted another unsettling tactic—sabotaging the opposition from the inside. “You might not even be in the same party,” he said, “but you can fund someone else’s candidacy just to split their support base.”
The strategy, as described, wraps up with what Alibaba referred to as the final pieces of the power puzzle: institutional control and media dominance.
“You need INEC, state RECs, the media—especially influential blogs and social platforms—on your side,” he said. “Don’t forget religious leaders, traditional rulers, appointments to boards, and at least four top-tier constitutional lawyers on speed dial.”
Whether taken as political satire or serious whistleblowing, Alibaba’s recounting offers a rare, no-holds-barred look into what some believe to be the underbelly of Nigeria’s election system. If even a fraction of this alleged strategy holds water, it underscores just how complicated—and sometimes cynical—the quest for power can be.