Peter Obi Biography
Businessman and politician Peter Gregory Obi CON (born July 19, 1961) served as Governor of Anambra in Nigeria from March 2006 to November 2006, February 2007 to May 2007, and June 2007 to March 2014. At a party convention in May 2022, he was officially nominated to run for president of Nigeria as the Labour Party’s candidate in the upcoming 2023 election.
Profile:
- Name: Gregory Peter Obi
- Born: 19 July, 1961
- Gender: Male
- Place Of Birth: Anambra State Onitsha
- Nationality: Nigerian
- Age: 61 years old
- State Of Origin: Anambra Nigeria
- Profession: Politician, Businessman
- Wife: Margaret Brownson Usen
- Net Worth: $10 million
Early Life And Education
On July 19, 1961, in the city of Onitsha, Anambra State, Peter Obi came into the world. His secondary schooling was accomplished at Christ the King College, Onitsha. In 1980, he enrolled at the University of Nigeria, and in 1984 he earned a Bachelor of Arts (Honors) in Philosophy.
Peter Obi earned certificates in the Senior Executive Program and the Chief Executive Officer Program from the International Institute for Management Development and the Chief Executive Program from Lagos Business School. He also attended Harvard Business School and completed two major programs there.
He also went to the Sad Business School in Oxford and the Judge Business School in Cambridge after his time at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Pre-Political Career
When Obi first entered politics, he was already successful in business. Obi claims that he was born into a trading family and spent his early adulthood in the field before entering the business sector. He was a top executive at a number of private companies.
He has served as chairman or director for Next International Nigeria Ltd, 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 are just a few of the firms he has served as chairman or director for. During his time at Fidelity Bank Plc, he set the record for youngest chairman.
Political Career
First Term
In 2003, Peter Obi ran for governor of Anambra State as a candidate for the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). His opponent, Chris Ngige of the People’s Democratic Party, was declared the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Ngige’s initial victory was overturned by the Court of Appeal on March 15, 2006, after nearly three years of litigation. On March 17, 2006, Obi became the president. After seven months in power, the state house of assembly impeached him on November 2, 2006, and Virginia Etiaba, his deputy, took over as governor the following day, making her Nigeria’s first female head of state. On February 9, 2007, the Court of Appeal in Enugu reversed the governor’s impeachment and reinstated Obi.
After the court verdict, Etiaba restored his authority. On May 29th, 2007, after the general elections were held and Andy Uba was declared the winner, Peter Obi resigned from office. Obi went back to court again, this time arguing that his four-year term as president, which he had won in the 2003 elections, had not begun to run until he entered office in March 2006.
The Supreme Court of Nigeria ruled in Obi’s favor on June 14, 2007, restoring him to office. The Supreme Court voided Andy Uba’s election on 14 April 2007 on the grounds that Obi’s four-year term should have continued uninterrupted until March 2010.
Second Term
The Election of a New President and Congress
In the 2010 election for governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi faced off against Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and on February 7th, 2010, INEC announced that Obi had won.
With his re-election, Governor Obi of Anambra State will serve for another four years. As of March 17, 2014, Peter Obi’s second term as governor was over, and he handed power over to Willie Obiano. President Goodluck Jonathan chose Peter Obi to lead the Nigerian Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) after the 2015 election.
Personal Life
In 1992, Peter Obi married Margaret Brownson Obi (née Usen). They’re parents to a little boy and a little girl. Obi was born into the Igbo religion and is a devout Catholic.
Awards And Nomination
Peter Obi has won numerous awards for his noteworthy efforts in the commercial and political spheres. Several of his honors and achievements include:
- Man of the Year, Silverbird, 2013
- Award for Outstanding Example in Leadership and Governance, The Voice Newspaper, 2014
- Most Outstanding Igbo Man of the Decade, Champion Newspaper, 2014
- Golden Merit Award, Nigerian Library Association, 2014
- Most Prudent Governor in Nigeria, Thisday Newspaper, 2009
- Nigeria’s Most Trustworthy Governor, Champion Newspaper, 2009
- Governor of the Year, West Africa ICT Development Award, 2010
- Zik Leadership Prize, 2011
- Best Performing Governor on Immunization in South-East Nigeria, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, 2012
- Man of the Year, Sun Newspaper, 2007
Peter Obi Net Worth
Several reports claim that Peter Obi is worth $10 million. He is one of Nigeria’s wealthiest politicians.