Prince Adewole Adebayo, the presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), has claimed that former President Olusegun Obasanjo is attempting to do to Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi what he did to late President Umar Musa Yar’Adua.
Adebayo, who said he was not surprised by Obasanjo’s support for Obi, said Obasanjo sees Obi as “just an extension of his body, similar to what he tried to do with the late President Umaru Yar’Adua.”
Remember that in an eight-page open letter on January 1, Obasanjo publicly endorsed the Labour Party presidential candidate and urged Nigerians, particularly youths, to vote for the former Anambra State governor in the 2023 general election.
Obasanjo stated that while none of the presidential candidates are ‘saints’, Obi stands out among Omoyele Sowore of the African Action Congress (AAC), Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), and Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP).
WITHIN NIGERIA understands that Obasanjo’s endorsement has elicited mixed reactions from various political actors, with some dismissing the endorsement as meaningless.
Speaking about Obasanjo’s choice on Wednesday during a virtual interactive session with Nigerians hosted by Rudolf Okonkwo, Adebayo described the endorsement as merely a public confirmation of a scheme that the retired General himself planned and executed ab initio.
He claimed Obasanjo was being true to himself by endorsing Peter Obi.
It is not reasonable for anyone to pretend to be surprised that he endorsed a campaign which he himself set up, which he has been sustaining and raising funds for, Prince Adebayo said.
He admitted that what Obasanjo did was nothing new, given that he is the de facto campaign director for Peter Obi. He is represented by the former DG (Doyin Okupe) and the current DG.
The SDP presidential candidate reiterated his support for the right of citizens to vote for whomever they want. He did, however, note that Obasanjo’s actions, both inside and outside of government, laid the groundwork for the country’s current problems.