After former president Olusegun Obasanjo endorsed the Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) spokesman, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, said the party was unconcerned.
While the party would have appreciated the endorsement of the former Nigerian leader like he did in 2019, he said the organization was confident in its ability to win with the support of the large number of Nigerians who had already endorsed it.
Aniagwu, who is also the Delta State Commissioner for Information, appeared on the AIT Television programme: “Kakaaki” on Monday, where he said that Obasanjo is one leader who enjoys respect across the country, but that the party is quite happy with the endorsements it has received from Nigerians, as evidenced by the various rallies it has held so far.
The vote of the Nigerian people is more important than anything else, and we have an organic convergence of Nigerians at all our rallies.
We wish Obasanjo had endorsed Atiku Abubakar in 2019 like he did in 2018, when he said, “I believe that Atiku Abubakar has what it takes to take Nigeria out of the current mess.”
We believe most Nigerians are already making their own decisions, and based on the evidence we have seen, Atiku is heavily favored to win this election.
“We have no problem with Obasanjo endorsing anybody because it is his democratic right and you can’t take it away from him, but Nigerians at the end of the day will make the ultimate choice of who leads them for the sake of recovering Nigeria from where we are right now,”
According to Aniagwu, the party would not hold it against Obasanjo for selecting Obi, and in fact will use the decision as motivation to ramp up its engagements with key players across the country.
Atiku Abubakar, his running mate Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, and our presidential campaign council are not fazed by the early polls showing a close race between the two major parties.
We have kept in touch with Nigerians in all six of the country’s administrative regions because we anticipated a smooth ride.
“No one is an underdog in this race, and we respect all of the people that are running, but we are confident in our own abilities to win this election.
Our presidential candidate and his running mate have the credentials to position our country and recover it from where it is at the moment, and we are confident that this would pique the interest of Nigerians.
Thus, “if a former President under the PDP has decided to pitch his tent with another person is not something that will ruffle us, it will only strengthen us to further deepen our interface with Nigerians for them to understand that where we are headed that Atiku-Okowa are the only ones that have what it takes to lead Nigeria out of the woods,” he said.
The presidential campaign spokesman expressed his satisfaction with Obasanjo’s 2019 endorsement of Atiku, in which Obasanjo proclaimed Atiku to be “the President for the time” because to his wealth of experience.
“I don’t think anything has changed from his opinions about Atiku’s capacity to manage the many concerns confronting us today, the challenges have become more serious which requires a man who has got the expertise and candor to be able to deal with these issues.
“We do not hold it against our brother Peter Obi that he has the backing of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. He was a member of the PDP till very recently before he switched to the Labour Party.
Most Nigerians recognize that Atiku Abubakar and his running mate Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa have the track records and experience to solve the country’s current problems.
Aniagwu continued, “We are very much sure that Atiku towers much above other presidential candidates and that is why we are looking forward to Nigerians backing us since theirs is the ultimate.”
Aniagwu said the PDP would keep pleading with the G-5 governors to put down their swords and work together to help the party complete its rescue mission after they threatened to support a presidential candidate other than the PDP’s.
He criticized Governor Wike’s recent actions, calling them “inimical to democratic norms and ethos,” and he urged Rivers Governor Wike to protect the constitutionally protected right of voters to express their preferences for political office without fear of reprisal.
We will keep begging the G-5 for help getting inside Aso Rock Presidential Villa because we know that doing so will make our lives much easier.
We respect their right to free speech and choice within a democratic society, but ask that they put down their weapons and go home because of the positive impact the party has had on their lives.
While internal party harmony is certainly desirable, the well-being of the country as a whole is of paramount importance to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
He cautioned Governor Wike to take a gentler approach in Rivers, saying that the recent moves he’s taken to stifle opposing views in the state are bad for democracy.
“Governor Wike has made a lot of mistakes and we will keep pleading with him that this democratic journey is very essential to Nigerians and that it will not be accepted if he keeps doing things that are counterproductive to the development and expansion of democracy in Nigeria.
Inconsistent with democratic norms and values is his policy of revoking the COs of those who likely to have different views from his own.
While we accept his freedom to make his own decision, he must also recognize the rights of the people who voted for him and gave him this temporary (5-month) power.
From his position as Chairman of Obiakpo Local Government Council to his two terms as governor of oil-rich Rivers State, Wike has benefited greatly from the party that Atiku and Okowa now lead.
Let him appreciate the party’s kindness and go back to his hometown to do everything he can to aid the party’s candidates in the upcoming election.
We need to march together in one accord as members of the PDP, he said, because it is the only party that is ideally positioned to lead Nigeria out of the woods. “This is vital because where we are now is not a period for acrobatics but a period to begin to rebuild, recover Nigeria.”
