2023 Election: Gov Ugwuanyi’s Top Aide, Jonathan Dumps Atiku For Peter Obi

Other presidential candidates have violated the antidote for peaceful cohesion, says the Special Assistant to Enugu State Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi on Media, Emmanuel Jonathan, as he announced his support for the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

Recall that Governor Ugwuanyi is a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain and among the Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike’s led G5 team.

Naija News reports also that the G-5 governors are currently at loggerheads with the PDP leadership and the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

Though their arguments over the party’s national chairmanship position have not changed as a pre-condition to supporting Atiku, the aggrieved governors are still silent on their chosen candidate for the 2023 presidential election.

In a statement, however, on Wednesday morning, Jonathan endorsed Peter Obi saying he could no longer keep mute in the face of bad leadership. The PDP governor’s aide declared that he had chosen to add his voice in support of the Peter Obi/Datti Yusuf Baba-Ahmed presidential ambition.

He said: “Nigeria as a country has suffered inept leadership for years leading to the exposure of many innocent Nigerians to a hellish condition while still alive.

“The only panacea to redress this situation is to first of all appreciate the words: Truth, capacity, justice, equity and fairness while making a choice on those who will pilot the affairs of Nigeria in the next four years, which the Peter Obi/Datti Baba-Ahmed Presidential aspiration epitomises.”

PDP Fails To Learn From 2015, APC Exhibited Worst Political Calculation

Jonathan furthered his argument on the 2023 polls saying it is worrisome to note that among the four major contending political parties, three chose to violate the antidote for a peaceful cohesion that creates the much-needed enabling environment for a fruitful leadership that will better the lots of Nigerians.

According to him, this is because the parties failed to appreciate the word truth, capacity, equity and justice, and the conventional gentleman understanding on the ground, “which is that power should ordinarily rotate to Southern Nigeria and with a special focus to the section that is yet to occupy the seat of the president.”

The Governor’s aide continued saying the PDP has failed to learn from its mistake in 2015 when they decided to contest against the tide that made them lose the seat of the president to the All Progressives Congress (APC), Naija News reports.

APC on the other hand, he said had exhibited the worst of political calculation in their choice and consideration of who should fly the flag of their party as they did not only fail to appreciate the word truth, capacity, equity and justice, and the conventional gentleman understanding on the ground, they went ahead to elect/nominate a Muslim/Muslim Ticket which according to him is an aberration to peace and harmony.

Jonathan said the ruling party did not put into consideration the fact that Nigeria is densely populated by Christians and Muslims which has always been reflected in the choice of who occupies the seat of the President and Vice President.

“It is therefore interesting to note that the Peter Obi/Datti Baba-Ahmed Presidential Aspiration of the Labour Party, did not only factor the consideration of the antidote for a peaceful cohesion that creates the much needed enabling environment for a fruitful and progressive leadership that will put smiles on the face of Nigerians, it appreciates the word truth, capacity, justice, equity and fairness because Obi comes from the South East zone that has not produced the occupant of the presidential seat of Nigeria.

“In the area of capacity, the Obi/Datti team presents a wonderful track record of experience devoid of corruption in the past leadership positions they both held which is a major plus for them,” he said in the statement.

Tinubu, Atiku’s Ambition Will Cause More Division

According to him, presidential candidates of the APC, Bola Tinubu, and PDP’s Atiku Abubakar would rather create more divisiveness than the love which Nigeria needs at the moment.

“Tinubu’s presidential ambition does not also stand on justice as it is the turn of the South East to produce the president of the country based on equity. His ambition also undermines the long standing rule which acknowledges the two major religions in the country which is Muslim and Christian religion in the choice of President and Vice President.

“Atiku’s ambition is against the understanding between Southern and Northern Nigeria that power should rotate between the two sections of the country irrespective of political affiliation,” he noted.

Jonathan said though he respects Tinubu and Atiku, who are old enough to be his parents, he, however, choose to support and speak out in favour of the Obi/Datti Labour Party Presidential team in the 2023 presidential election for the future of Nigeria.

“This is my personal opinion as a member of the PDP in Enugu State and it is devoid of any official influence as Special Assistant to the Governor of Enugu State. I still remain a member of PDP,” he declared.