Emameh Gabriel asks if the recent adoption of Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, by former President Olusegun Obasanjo and elder statesman, Chief Edwin Clark, among others, can translate to vote for Obi during the February 25, 2023 presidential poll.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has once again attempted to flex his political influence as he officially threw weight behind Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, as the best man fit to be Nigeria’s next president.
Obasanjo was also joined by Niger Delta statesman and leader of Pan Niger Delta Elders Forum (PANDEF) Chief Edwin Clark and Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State, who all gave the former Anambra State governor a pat on the back.
The endorsements came just few days after Anambra born-business billionaire, Prince Arthur Eze, condemned Obi’s ambition of becoming the next president of Nigeria after, President Muhammadu Buhari in May, 2023.
Eze, who spoke at the occasion of the 2022 Ofala festival of HRH Igwe (Dr.) Robert Eze, the traditional ruler of Ukpo in Dunukofia local government area of Anambra State, revealed that he warned Obi to drop his ambition, but he wouldn’t listen.
He explained how he advised Obi to wait for next time after however listening to him lists the number of states he thought he would win.
Their endorsement of Obi was greeted with mixed reactions just as it has left Obi’s critics and other candidates in the race occupied with reactions and attacks on Obasanjo, specifically.
In the six-page letter, dripping of passionate expression that appeared genuine to rescue a nation he claimed was sinking, Obasanjo anchored his endorsement of Obi on four key reasons namely Track record of ability and performance; vision that is authentic, honest and realistic; Character and attributes of a lady and a gentleman who are children of God and obedient to God; and physical and mental capability with soundness of mind.
While Ortom and Clark have both described Obi as the best candidate to manage the country, for Obasanjo, the endorsement presents a test of whether the former president’s influence on the electorate or major political stakeholders has diminished after failing to dislodge incumbent President Muhammadu Bubari in 2019.
His move has also raised questions in some section of the public whether it was borne out of patriotism or his usual inordinate attempt to settle scores.
Nevertheless, the endorsement by Obasanjo, Ortom and Clark of the Obi’s presidential ambition is no doubt a potential boost for the Labour Party’s presidential candidate, indicating that his public appeal has not diminished as against the perception in some quarters.
Yet many believe that these persons have no political value to influence the outcome of next month’s presidential election.
The ruling All Progressive Congress and its presidential candidate has described Obasanjo’s endorsement as ‘worthless’, saying the APC candidate, Bola Tinubu, will not lose sleep over Obasanjo’s action, because the former president is a “political paper weight” who had not successfully made anyone win election in Nigeria.
Also, the Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign Organization said Obasanjo’s subjective support for Obi was his personal wish, which does not reflect the opinion or position of overwhelming majority of Nigerians across the country.
In fairness, Obi’s candidacy has changed the status quo. It has harvested a lot from the two major political parties, especially the main opposition PDP where Obi harvested most of his supporters from.
Obi, who has been in the news in recent time for different reasons; either being commended, supported or condemned or being criticized over his quest to lead Nigeria from consumption to production, remains more of a threat to Atiku than he is to Tinubu whose party has better internal cohesion and also controls over 20 states across the country.
For the first time since 1999, three or more political parties are showing strength in a presidential race and Peter Obi appears to enjoy more support from the youth demography.
His nationwide appeal was boosted by the backing of prominent defectors and key endorsements. His key asset in the north is his running mate, Baba Ahmed-Datti and he has said that he is in the race to win.
In 2015, Obi was the running mate of former vice president Atiku Abubakar, on the platform of the main opposition People’s Democratic Party, who is still today the flag bearer of the party.
He left the PDP to test his popularity when he realised that his former party declared its presidential ticket open as against a zoning arrangements that could have seen the ticket zoned to the South.
The Labour Party’s candidate has promised a clean break from the past. Obi, a former Governor of Anambra State has challenged his opponents to come out with anything incriminating against him as a former governor. He has promised to withdraw from his campaign if they could come out with one.
Although Obi lacks some of the key ingredients to win a presidential election, across the country, his candidacy has continued to gain wide popularity, among ordinary Nigerians and political elite alike.
Obi’s growing acceptance has also brought the Labour Party into limelight, and has campaigned as a true democrat, vowing to root out corruption, invest in education, revive the economy, fight insecurity, move the country from a consuming nation to a productive one. Obi has promised to negotiate with every agitating groups in the country, including Boko Haram and IPOB to end agitations which he said were parts of the factors fueling insecurity in some parts of the country.
The electorate who are worried about corruption, insecurity and the economy have taken him for his words, making him the first Nigerian to successfully marshal and sustain a Third Force movement that has failed consistently in the past.
His supporters have argued that his mandate is secured because his support is organic. They have also argued that the very attributes that won the hearts of Nigerians are that he is prudent with public resources, he has good track records as a governor and he is a successful businessman who will do better as a president.
However, beyond the endorsement of the godfathers and the goodwill he enjoys today, Obi is faced with tough challenges going into the election.
Obi’s critics have not only questioned his performance as governor of Anambra State, they have also raised questions about his slim chances to compete favourably with the two major political parties, the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) with former Lagos State Governor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu as its candidate and former vice president Atiku Abubakar as candidate of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party.
Former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigerian People’s Party (NNPP) is also standing in Obi’s way, especially in the North where Obi has slim or no chance to flex his political muscle.
Reacting to Obi’s latest endorsements, elder statesman, Tanko Yakasai, described Obasanjo’s endorsement of Obi as insignificant and maintained that Obi is not among the two major contenders in the race.
Yakasai said, “Obasanjo’s endorsement is insignificant. The 2023 contest is a race between two top contenders, and even the gap between the major contender is so wide that no one will waste his or her vote on a contestant that is far far behind these big two.
“And whoever chooses to elect somebody that has no significance in the race knows too well he or she has wasted his or her vote.
“Obasanjo might have his reasons, but it will certainly not count on the February election. The contest is zeroed to two contenders, so Obasanjo endorsement is clearly insignificant,” Yakasai maintained.
On his part, former External Affairs Minister, Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi, also slammed Obasanjo, asking him to go home and allow the peace of the nation
Akinyemi reminded Obasanjo that he has had his tenure hence he should go home and just be quiet.
He described Obasanjo as part of the country’s problems, therefore should not come and presents himself as a problem solver.
His words: “Please don’t let us spend time on General Obasanjo’s letter or ideas because some of us believe that he also is part of the foundation of the problems that we have in this country, and one of the things that I have said is that once you have occupied that post of President and you have served your term, please go home and be like General Gowon, be like General Abdusalam, just be quiet.
“You’ve had your term and let others get on, but for you to create problems for us and then you come back and you present yourself as a problem solver, I find that difficult to swallow”.
THISDAY gathered recently that more prominent Nigerians have concluded plans to declare support for Obi but that would depend on what pans out from ongoing talks among some party’s stalwarts within the two major political parties, the APC and the PDP.
“This is just the beginning. They (the APC and the PDP) will soon know what is before them. More are coming and this time, they will understand what Nigerians are saying about them, National Chairman of Labour Party, Julius Abure, told THISDAY in a telephone interview.
With less than 50 days to the presidential election, Obi needs more than miracle to outplay money bags like Tinubu and his former principal, Atiku, both of whom have the support of all the state governors to win the presidential election.
The political elite in the five Eastern states are not lining up behind Obi. Two of the governors of the zone are with the PDP, while another two are with the ruling APC. The governor of Obi’s home state, Anambra, Charles Soludu, like Author Eze, has openly declared that Obi stands no chance to win the presidential poll.
If nothing changes between now and February, 2023, Obi will go into the presidential election with no formidable state structure, unreliable army of youth who have no voting experience, many of who are ready to sell their votes to the highest bidder, and many other factors that may play against his chances.
