At Ikoyi Club’s golf course, Dr. Peter Obafemi talks about business, betrayal, ambition and his bid for the Senate, making the case that Nigeria needs fewer grand promises and more measurable results. Adedayo Adejobi writes…
There are few places better suited to a conversation about politics than a golf course. The game demands patience, judgement and the ability to recover from a poor shot without allowing it to ruin the next. It also has a way of exposing character: the difference between what a man says and how he behaves when things fail to go according to plans.
At the golf course at Ikoyi Club, Lagos, Dr Peter Obafemi, popularly known as OPO, seems entirely at home. A businessman whose interests span aviation, security, property, agriculture and consulting, he brings to the course the confidence of a man accustomed to operating in demanding environments.
He is also a politician with unfinished business in Ekiti State. Having sought the governorship, he is now pursuing a seat in the Senate, representing Ekiti North. His ambition is substantial, but his argument is straightforward: politics should be judged less by the promises made before elections than by the results delivered afterwards.
Between shots, the conversation moves from business to public service, from personal disappointments to the prospects of industrialising Ekiti. The golf course provides an agreeable setting for a man attempting to explain why, after years in business and several turns in politics, he believes he still has something to contribute.
Obafemi’s background is rooted in enterprise. His business interests include Eagle Airways and Hawkeye Protective Services Limited, which he says provides aviation security and guarding services to organisations across Nigeria. He speaks about these ventures with the familiarity of a man who has spent considerable time dealing with the practical realities of running businesses.
His political journey began, he recalls, after former President Olusegun Obasanjo encouraged Nigerians living in America to return home and participate in politics. Obafemi says an aviation project involving American partners, intended to deliver a national hangar, was among the opportunities that drew him back. By 2006, he was considering a Senate bid. But the competition for the governorship in his home area of Ikole was intense.
“There were 18 candidates for governor from my local government, and 10 of us were from Ikole,” he recalls. “I said to myself, if I pursued the Senate, these people would make sure I got nowhere. So, I decided to contest for governor.”
He tried again in subsequent election cycles, including 2010 and 2014, but the governorship eluded him. Eventually, he stepped away from politics to concentrate on his businesses.
That withdrawal, however, proved temporary. His friendship with Ademola Adeleke, the Osun State governor, brought him back into the political conversation. Having watched Adeleke’s eventual success in Osun, Obafemi says friends encouraged him to reconsider his own ambitions in Ekiti.
His return did not produce the governorship candidacy he had sought. Instead, he found himself on the path to the Senate.
“I think the people have been ‘dying’; they have been misrepresented,” he says, explaining why he wants to represent Ekiti North. “I think I can give them proper representation.”
It is a claim that demands scrutiny. Nigerian politics is crowded with candidates promising development, employment and better infrastructure. What, then, distinguishes a businessman seeking political office from the familiar procession of aspirants offering a brighter future?
Obafemi returns repeatedly to the practicalities of investment. Across the five local government areas of Ekiti North—Ikole, Oye, Ido-Osi, Moba and Ilejemeje- he sees poor roads, limited industrial activity and too few employment opportunities beyond government service.
He argues that infrastructure is not simply a matter of convenience; it is a condition for economic growth. Investors may be willing to establish factories, he says, but poor access roads can persuade them to take their money elsewhere.
“I have friends willing to site factories in my senatorial district, but they would rather take them to Osun State because of our poor roads,” he says.
“I told them: I am contesting the election as a senator in my state. Let us establish that same factory in my state.”
The proposition is characteristic of his approach. Rather than treating politics as an end in itself, he wants to use the office to connect investors, infrastructure and local economic opportunities.
His plans extend to agriculture, where he sees considerable potential in Ekiti’s land. Large-scale farming, ranching and agro-processing could, in his view, provide employment while creating a stronger commercial base for rural communities.
“I want to make life better for my people,” he says. He is equally interested in industries that have struggled to fulfil their promise. A dairy farm that has failed to achieve its potential, he believes, can be made viable with the right business model. The clay-brick industry offers another opportunity, potentially extending beyond the domestic market.
His philosophy of development is emphatic: the government should establish the conditions for enterprise rather than attempt to run businesses itself.
“The government doesn’t have any business being in business,” he says. “Government is to give an enabling environment for businesses to thrive.”
It is an appealing distinction, particularly in a state seeking to expand employment and diversify its economy. Yet the challenge for Obafemi, should he enter the Senate, will be to translate commercial instincts into results through an office whose powers are legislative and supervisory rather than executive.
He appears conscious of that distinction. His argument is not that a senator can personally build every road, establish every factory or guarantee every job. Rather, he wants to use the Senate’s influence over legislation, budgets and oversight to advance projects and hold responsible institutions to account. “I will focus on solving problems, attracting investment, advancing priority projects and protecting public funds,” he says.
It is perhaps the clearest expression of his political pitch. In a climate where campaigns often revolve around spectacular promises, he wants his performance to be measurable.
“My performance should be measured by the results I deliver, not the promises I make,” he says. Aviation is another area in which he hopes to bring professional experience to legislative work. Having spent years in the sector, he believes airlines must be held more accountable for unnecessary cancellations and the treatment of passengers. “Airlines cannot just cancel flights unnecessarily and neglect the passengers,” he says. “We need to make sure that the industry that I am part of has been legislated well.”
He also wants traditional rulers to play a more active role in community security, arguing that their knowledge of local circumstances makes them valuable participants in security planning.
On the broader question of governance, Obafemi advocates a national dialogue on Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution. He believes the country needs a more deliberate conversation about its political structure, institutions and shared identity.
“We are still searching for our identity,” he says. “We need a national conference where we can determine how we want to live together.”
His interest in identity extends to the legacy of MKO Abiola and the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election. For Obafemi, the lesson is not merely about electoral injustice, but about the need for Nigerians to value their institutions and one another.
“We need to recognise and respect ourselves,” he says. “Nigeria needs to do that.”
There is, however, another side to the businessman that emerges when the conversation turns from ambition to adversity. His career has not been without painful setbacks. He recalls a business arrangement with international partners in the early 2000s that collapsed, leaving him with substantial financial losses. He is reluctant to discuss the details, but the experience appears to have shaped his understanding of trust and commercial relationships.
“Trust remains important, but it must be supported by sound judgement, due diligence and a clear understanding of the commitments people make,” he says.
He insists, however, that the experience has not made him cynical.
“One person’s betrayal should not determine how you relate to everybody else,” he says. “I still believe in friendship, loyalty and the goodness of people.”He credits his family, closest friends and faith with helping him through difficult periods. He speaks of them with gratitude, emphasising the importance of preserving one’s name and integrity, particularly when circumstances turn unfavourable. “Financial losses can be painful, but your name, your integrity and your ability to rise again are immensely important.”
These convictions also inform his view of public service. For him, political representation must be built on something more enduring than the privilege of holding office or belonging to a political party.
Obafemi remained in the People’s Democratic Party for many years before leaving amid internal disputes in 2025. He subsequently joined the Social Democratic Party, a platform he associates with Abiola’s political legacy. He maintains that his allegiance is ultimately to the people of Ekiti North, not party interests.
“In a politically divided Senate, my first loyalty would be to the people of Ekiti North. Political differences must never outweigh our responsibility to the people.”
Nigerian politics, however, will test his convictions. Party interests, access to power and competing demands can complicate good intentions. Obafemi’s challenge is to translate his business experience into effective representation, delivering practical results while remaining accountable to the people he hopes to serve.
When asked what drives him, Obafemi offers a simple answer.
“Caring for people,” he says. “When you care or love someone, you cannot hurt the person.”
His philosophy of life is similarly rooted in faith. “Live it to the fullest extent. Enjoy what God has given you,” he says. “Live for God and let God take care of your problem.”
At Ikoyi Club, amid the measured rhythm of golf and conversation, he presents himself as a man seeking another opportunity to make a difference.“I will not promise heaven and earth,” he says. “The difference should not be how loudly I promise, but how openly I account for my performance.”
For a politician asking to be judged by what he delivers, it is a fitting place to begin.