A police officer captured in a viral video has sparked controversy after making derogatory and ethnically charged remarks against former Anambra State governor and Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, while declaring that an Igbo man or woman can never become President of Nigeria.
The officer, who appeared to be inside a commercial vehicle, was seen wearing a Nigeria Police Force uniform while discussing Obi and the 2027 presidential election.
In the video, the officer repeatedly attacked Obi’s political ambition, describing him as a “criminal,” “ritualist,” “Yahoo boy” and “fraudster,” while alleging, without providing evidence, that Obi would turn Aso Rock into a “Yahoo office” if elected president.
“Igbo can never become president. No way. He will turn that Abuja to become Yahoo office. That Yahoo, we will not hear that again. They will take you to do rituals. A small child who doesn’t want to respect elders,” the officer said.
He also alleged that Obi engaged in ritual activities and internet fraud, while referring to the former Anambra governor’s tenure in office.
“When I was the governor in Anambra, I left so so so amount of money, you are doing rituals. A small child who is doing Yahoo and all the rubbish he is doing,” he claimed.
The officer subsequently made a direct reference to President Bola Tinubu, saying that even if Obi were to win an election, Tinubu should use money to prevent him from taking office at Aso Villa.
“Go and sell your okrika. Even if he wins, let oga (President Bola Tinubu) use money and deal with him. He will not enter that place. We will waste all his money and all his strength. All the votes they will cast for him in Igboland are useless,” he said.
The officer further dismissed Obi’s presidential ambition, repeatedly referring to him as a “small child” and arguing that the 2027 presidential contest should instead involve Tinubu and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
“Who is Obi? A small child. It is not yet his turn, until he gets old up to 80 or 90 years, then… ya la ya!! Atiku versus Tinubu. Kick Obi out of this matter! Who is Obi?” he said.
He also urged Obi to “go and sell your okrika” before directing further derogatory remarks at his supporters and questioning whether an Igbo person could ever be given an opportunity to become Nigeria’s president.
“Go to Wazobia FM, go everywhere. Yeye people. Who will ever give Igbo man or Igbo woman a chance to become the president of this country?” the officer said.
He went on to insist that Obi was too young to compete with Tinubu and Atiku and predicted that Obi would finish fifth in the 2027 presidential contest.
“Obi is too small to stand where Atiku and Tinubu are speaking. This time around, he will be in fifth position. Igbo will be expecting to become the president? Igbo man or Igbo woman can never become a president of this nation! It has been a tradition!” he said.
The officer also invoked former President Olusegun Obasanjo while attempting to support his argument about the alleged political exclusion of the Igbo.
“Obasanjo has said, ‘For me to make Igbo man my vice, it is not done’, he chose a Hausa,” he claimed.
He did not provide evidence for the claim during the video, and the statement could not be independently established from the footage.
The officer continued his attack by describing Obi as a criminal and making further unsubstantiated allegations involving drug use and internet fraud.
“Obi cannot go anywhere! Hoodlums! Do you know what they call hoodlums? Obi is a criminal! Igbo smoker (Indian hemp smoker), Yahoo. He will turn Aso Rock to become Yahoo, fraudster, small boy. He will turn that office to become a Yahoo office,” he said.
He also expressed support for a presidential contest between Tinubu and Atiku while dismissing Obi’s political relevance.
“It is better to leave these elderly men to be controlling us. If Atiku can defeat Tinubu, accepted. Let elderly man control us. He is our father who trained us. Obi will turn that Abuja to become a Yahoo office,” the officer said.
Voices of passengers speaking Igbo could also be heard in the background of the recording, with some apparently condemning the officer’s remarks.
The video has since generated reactions online, particularly over the fact that the speaker appeared to be a police officer wearing an official uniform while making partisan political statements and comments directed at an ethnic group.
The circumstances surrounding the recording, however, remain unclear. The identity of the officer, his rank, police unit, exact location where the video was recorded and whether he was acting in any official capacity could not be independently established from the footage.
The allegations made against Obi in the video also remain allegations and have not been established merely by the officer’s statements.
The incident comes amid heightened political activity ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections, with political parties, presidential aspirants and their supporters increasingly engaging in debates over leadership, regional representation, ethnic identity and the distribution of political power.
The video has consequently raised broader questions about the political neutrality expected of serving security personnel, particularly during an election period, and about the consequences of ethnically charged political rhetoric in a country as ethnically diverse as Nigeria.