· OBJ, ex-Generals’ alleged involvement unsettle big 2
The two big political party in Nigeria are currently in dilemma over the growing popularity of ‘structureless’ Labour party ahead 2023presidency.
Indications have emerged that the two dominant political parties, All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are becoming worried about the rising profile of Mr Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) ahead of the 2023 general elections.
Our investigations showed that the leaderships of the APC and PDP have been working round the clock to contain the growing influence and incursion of the Labour Party into their traditional strongholds.
Although both parties are yet to openly declare Obi as a threat, Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, recently acknowledged the emergence of a new breed of Nigerians, who go by the tag: Obidients, a slogan carved out of Obi, the presidential candidate of Labour Party.
According to Obaseki, the “Obidients” no longer think of APC or PDP but have adopted Labour Party as a life that has come to rescue them from their predicaments in Nigeria.
Obi, a former Governor of Anambra State enjoys top rating among millions of Nigerians, especially the youths, many of whom are either out of school and jobless or currently stuck at home due to the closure of tertiary institutions for several months.
The prolonged strike in the universities and other strikes have made organised labour angry with the APC -led government just as the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) endorsed Obi recently.
It would be recalled that Obi was a member of the PDP until May 28, 2022, when he dumped the party and joined the Labour Party. His entry into the LP instantly transformed the relatively unknown party to a household name.
The rush by young Nigerians to join the LP was so much, so that its membership registration portal crashed 24 hours after Obi joined the party. The same rush has also been witnessed at the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) as millions of Nigerians, who have never voted during elections, are registering to pick up their Permanent Voters Card in order to participate in the 2023 general election.
Although, political analysts and the old brigade of politicians never gave Obi a chance because they believed he and his new party lacked the political “structure” to win a national election, recent developments in the political space seem to prove otherwise.
Obi appears to have a lot of things going for him. It is believed that he has the tacit support of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, whom he consulted before leaving PDP for the LP. Other eminent Nigerians who have played the role of kingmakers over the years seem to have soft spots for Obi and his recent political moves.
A former military ruler, President Ibrahim Babangida had said that the ideal president of Nigeria should be in his sixties, a description that fits Obi perfectly. The issue of age of a presidential candidate became very pertinent since President Muhammadu Buhari confessed that old age has taken a toll on him and the Presidency in the last seven years.
In addition, there is a general belief that the kingmakers are not favourably disposed to APC and PDP after seeing the performance of both parties in the last 23 years.
Leader of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Prof Ango Abdullahi, recently said that neither Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, presidential candidate of the APC, nor Atiku, presidential candidate of the PDP has the solution Nigeria’s problems.
Our investigations showed that Obi’s rating has soared even further because while the candidates of the other two dominant parties are battling with how to get suitable running mates, Obi has chosen Datti Baba-Ahmed, a young, vibrant and forward looking entrepreneur as running mate.
Apart from the uncertainties surrounding Tinubu’s choice of a running mate, a multiplicity of controversies still trail his age and academic qualifications.
Although, Atiku, the presidential candidate of the PDP has been able to pick a substantive running mate, the choice of Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, the Governor of Delta State, is threatening to tear the party apart.
