Peter Obi watches Ikorodu City, Rangers NPFL clash in Lagos

Former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi on Sunday attended the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) match between Ikorodu City and Rangers International at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena in Lagos.

Ikorodu City announced Mr Obi’s presence at the match in a post on its social media platforms during the Matchday 6 encounter.

“Live at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena to witness the beauty of the ‘NPFL – Nigeria Premier League’,” the club wrote.

“Ikorodu City plays host to Rangers in #NPFL27 | Match Day 6. Welcome to Lagos, @PeterObi.”

The match, which kicked off at 4 p.m., brought together Ikorodu City and defending champions Rangers at the Onikan stadium.

Sunday’s fixture is one of the Matchday 6 games in the 2026/27 NPFL season, with Rangers arriving in Lagos unbeaten in their previous four matches.

For Ikorodu City, the match came after a 2-1 defeat to Bendel Insurance in Benin on Wednesday, while Rangers defeated Ranchers Bees 1-0 in their previous league fixture.

Mr Obi has attended several high-profile sporting events involving Nigerian teams in recent years.

In March 2025, he travelled to Uyo to watch the Super Eagles’ 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Zimbabwe at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium.

Nigeria drew the match 1-1, with Mr Obi later praising the players for their effort and sportsmanship.

In February 2024, Mr Obi was also in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, where he watched Nigeria’s Super Eagles defeat Angola 1-0 in the quarter-final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

He watched the match from the stands at the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Stadium as Ademola Lookman scored Nigeria’s winning goal.

Mr Obi also attended the 2025 Unity Cup match between Nigeria and Jamaica at Brentford Stadium in London. He said the match, which Nigeria eventually won on penalties after a 2-2 draw, was an opportunity to celebrate the country’s unity through sport.

More recently, during a visit to Ibadan in April 2026, Mr Obi visited the Lekan Salami Stadium, where he watched young Nigerians compete in sports such as basketball, lawn tennis, handball, and judo.

His attendance at Sunday’s NPFL fixture adds a domestic league match to his recent appearances at Nigerian and international sporting events.

Tunde Eludini is a graduate of the Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, Nigeria where he studied International Relations. He is a Senior Correspondent coordinating the sports section for PREMIUM TIMES. Twitter: @tundeyeludini