‘Your Last Candidate Failed Nigerians’ – Atiku Replies Obasanjo Over Peter Obi’s Endorsement

The campaign organization of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has reacted to the endorsement of the Labour Party (LP) flagbearer by the former President, Olusegun Obasanjo.

Naija News earlier reported that Obasanjo, in a New Year message titled “My Appeal to all Nigerians, particularly young Nigerians”, endorsed Obi to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023.

The former Nigerian leader described Peter Obi as a needle with thread attached to it from North and South and he may not get lost.

Reacting to this, the spokesperson of the Atiku Presidential Campaign, Kola Ologbondiyan on Sunday said Obasanjo’s endorsement does not reflect the wishes of most Nigerians.

Ologbondiyan opined that Obasanjo’s endorsement cannot sway the decision of many Nigerians considering how he endorsed, Muhammadu Buhari, whose administration he now describes as stressful for Nigerians.

According to Atiku’s campaign team,  the former vice president is the most experienced among all other candidates with readiness to serve Nigerians.

The former PDP National Publicity Secretary noted that Obasanjo is entitled to his personal opinion, which remains individualistic and cannot redirect Nigerians from their determination to vote for Atiku to rescue and rebuild Nigeria.

He further expressed surprise at the former President’s endorsement of Obi who has not had any experience in governance at the national level in the face of the alarming challenges facing the nation, which requires a tried and tested hand.

The statement read: “In any case, Chief Obasanjo’s opinion cannot sway Nigerians who can easily remember how he endorsed President Muhammadu Buhari, whose administration, he (Obasanjo) now describes as “stressful years for many Nigerians,” during which our nation “moved from frying pan to fire and from mountain top to the valley.”

“It is, therefore, 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 estimation, failed Nigerians.

“Our campaign holds that none of the Presidential candidates has the experience, capacity, tenacity of purpose, presence of mind, and readiness to serve like Atiku Abubakar.

“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 the record of ability and performance, authentic vision, honesty, and character; physical and mental capacity; the very indices set by the former President.

“It is instructive to state that every claim by former President Obasanjo on the success of his administration is a reflection of the performance of Atiku Abubakar as his Vice President and Chairman of the National Economic Council during which our nation achieved unprecedented economic growth to become one of the fastest growing economies in the world”.