According to Bayo Onanuga, Director of Media and Publicity for the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, presidential candidate Asiwaju Bola Tinubu won’t sleep over former president Olusegun Obasanjo’s endorsement of his Labour Party counterpart Peter Obi.
In his New Year’s message to Nigerians, Obasanjo said that Obi had an advantage over other candidates in the 2023 presidential election in terms of character, history, understanding, knowledge, discipline, and vitality.
In response, Onanuga issued a statement on Sunday describing the endorsement as meaningless and stating that Obasanjo was nothing more than a paperweight with no political influence in Nigeria to help Anvone win a councilorship election or a presidential one.
“We read with amusement the endorsement of Mr. Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate, by former president Olusegun Obasanjo in his New Year’s message on Sunday,” according to the statement.
“We decided to make this preliminary statement after receiving calls from journalists from various media houses asking for our reaction, even though we did not consider the so-called endorsement to be of any value.”
“We honor the democratic right of the former President Obasanjo to support and endorse any candidate of his choice in any election.”
“With the exception of the formal declaration he made in his message for the new year, any discerning political observer in Nigeria is aware that Chief Obasanjo’s preference for Obi is anticipated.
“He had previously stated his position at a number of public events, the most recent of which was during the 70th birthday celebration in Enugu of Chief John Nwodo, the former President of Ohaneze Ndigbo.
“We dare to say that our party and candidate, Tinubu, will not lose sleep over Obasanjo’s move because Obasanio is well-known for always opposing progressive political forces, as he did against MKO Abiola in 1993. As a result, Obasanio’s move will not cause Tinubu any problems.
“The support is really useless in light of the fact that the previous president has no political generosity or influence anyplace in Nigeria to make anybody win a councillorship political race not to mention win an official political race. He is a political cog in the wheel.