The PDP Presidential Campaign Council has described the endorsement of the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, by former President Olusegun Obasanjo as the latter’s personal opinion.
The PDP said Mr Obasanjo’s opinion does not reflect the position of the overwhelming majority of Nigerians across the country because the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, is the most acceptable of all the candidates.
This was contained in a statement by Kola Ologbondiyan, spokesperson of the PDP campaign organisation, on Monday.
The statement was a reaction to the former president’s New Year message and an open letter to Nigerians, where he said though none of the contestants is a saint, Mr Obi has an edge when character, antecedent, their understanding, knowledge and discipline are to be compared.
Mr Obi, he said, has the “experience and great efforts required to stay focused on the job, particularly looking at where the country is today… Others like all of us have what they can contribute to the new dispensation to liberation, restoration and salvaging of Nigeria collectively.”
“One other important point to make about Peter is that he is a needle with thread attached to it from North and South and he may not get lost,” he wrote.
Mr Obasanjo’s letter has since stirred different reactions from supporters of different presidential candidates on social media.
The APC Presidential Campaign Council has since dismissed Mr Obi’s endorsement by the former Nigerian leader, describing it as “worthless.”
It said it’s candidate, Bola Tinubu, would not lose sleep over the endorsement.
Mr Ologbondiyan said Nigerians are surprised that in the face of the challenges facing the nation, which requires a tried and tested hand, Mr Obasanjo “is suggesting a candidate that has not had any experience in governance at the national level.”
Remarkable as Mr Obasanjo’s opinion might appear, he said, it remains individualistic and cannot redirect Nigerians from their determination to rally with the more experienced, proficient and accepted candidate – Atiku.
“It will be 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,” he said.
“Atiku remains the most widely accepted candidate, whose choice is not predicated by sectional, tribal, ethnic or religious sentiments or the endorsement of any individual, high or low, but by record of ability and performance, authentic vision, honesty and character; physical and mental capacity; the very indices set by the former President.”
The PDP campaign council also said every claim by the former president on the success of his administration is a reflection of the performance of Atiku as his vice president and Chairman of the National Economic Council (NEC).
It urged Nigerians not to be distracted by subjective opinions but remain focused on the resolve to salvage the nation by electing Atiku as the next president of Nigeria.