Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has endorsed the candidate of Labour party (LP), Mr Peter Obi for the forthcoming presidential election.
In an open letter to Nigerian youths which coincides with the new year day felicitations, Chief Obasanjo described Mr Obi as “a needle with thread attached to it from North and South and he may not get lost”.
The former President who decried the hardship of Nigerians under the All Progressives Congress (APC) leadership, appealed to young Nigerians to rise above the prejudices and takes steps to reposition the nation through the 2023 polls by voting for Mr Peter Obi.
“And you, the youth, it is your time and your turn. ‘Eyin Lokan’ (Your turn)” Chief Obasanjo said.
He explained that his choice was based on Mr Obi’s track record of ability, youthfulness, performance, vision and character displayed over the years.
PDP swiftly reacts to Peter Obi’s endorsement by Obasanjo
But in a swift reaction, the Atiku/Okowa presidential Campaign council of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has described the former president’s position as a personal opinion which does not reflect the wishes of majority of Nigerians.
A Spokesperson for the Campaign Organisation, Mr Kola Ologbodiyan insists that the PDP Presidential candidate Alhaji Atiku Abubakar remains the most acceptable personality in the country today with the capacity to rescue and rebuild the nation.
Mr Ologbodiyan therefore urges Nigerians not to be distracted by subjective opinions but to remain focused on the resolve to salvage the nation by electing Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as the next President of Nigeria.
“In any case, Chief Obasanjo’s opinion cannot sway Nigerians who can easily remember how he endorsed President Muhammadu Buhari, whose administration, he (Obasanjo) now describes as “stressful years for many Nigerians,” during which our nation “moved from frying pan to fire and from mountain top to the valley.”
“It is therefore but extremely difficult for Nigerians, particularly the youth demography, to accept Chief Obasanjo’s opinion as the solution to the myriad of challenges facing the nation today because the last candidate he introduced, by his own estimation, failed Nigerians”, Atiku’s team explained.
“Our campaign holds that none of the Presidential candidates has the experience, capacity, tenacity of purpose, presence of mind and readiness to serve like Atiku Abubakar”