The Labour Party has reacted to claims by the opposition that the endorsement of the presidential candidate of the party, Mr Peter Obi, by former president Olusegun Obasanjo, was worthless.
The Spokesperson of the Obi-Datti presidential campaign council, Yinusa Tanko, told Saturday PUNCH, that those who said so would be shocked.
He disclosed these on the backdrop of the recent backlash on Obasanjo’s statements at the Nigeria Leadership series, a digital event organised by the Africa Leadership Group on Thursday. The event was monitored by our correspondent.
Obasanjo said at the ALG event that he would neither be joining the campaign train of Obi nor would he be mobilising other former presidents and statesmen for him.
The former president also stressed that he endorsed Obi because he felt that he had an edge over other presidential candidates in the areas of character, track record, vision, and physical and mental ability.
Taking a cue from a viral video of a preacher who asked his congregation to vote for people whose values they would like to have in their children, Obasanjo asked Nigerians to vote for the presidential candidate whose values they would want their children to emulate in the future.
In response to criticism of Obasanjo’s endorsement, Tanko said that his endorsement shows that he is a patriot who was willing to bring the country “out of the woods,” and transform it by making sure that power does not reside with corrupt and reportedly unhealthy persons.
When asked whether Obasanjo has not taken further steps to promote his choice, Tanko said, “He has been more obedient than any other person, so anybody cannot undermine the contribution of Obasanjo. The simple fact that he is determined to take Nigeria out of the woods, he reached out. You will be surprised by the level of reaching out that Obasanjo has done. He has reached out to a lot of Nigerians and they are working very hard to ensure that Peter Obi gets all the support he needs.”
He also noted the same people who are trying to diminish the weight of Obasanjo’s endorsement were also “jostling, and struggling,” before his endorsement letter to make sure he endorsed them.
While reacting to the statement that Obasanjo could not win his ward for Obi at the general elections, Tanko said, “They will be so shocked with regards to winning his ward, this is somebody that connects both local and international communities. He is known for his vision, determination, doggedness, and love for Nigeria. He has spoken and the country is already shaking. If he is not that important why would his words make so much tremour nationwide, especially when he is talking to the Nigerian Youth–they appreciate and respect his words. They are ready to go.”
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