2023 ELECTION: The executive governor of Ondo State, Arakurin Rotimi Akeredolu, says he is not choosing between Mr. Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s (LP) presidential candidate or Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the APC presidential candidate for the 2023 election.

Basic Facts

• Governor Akeredolu is of the All Progressive Congress (APC) political party and also a Yoruba from the Southwest as Bola Tinubu.
• Peter Obi, a former governor of Anambra state is a strong contender for the nation’s no. 1 office under the umbrella of an opposition party, the Labour Party in the forthcoming 2023 presidential elections.
• Governor Akeredolu recently defended the Muslim-Muslim joint ticket of Bola Tinubu and former Governor Shettima.

What We Know

Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is an APC chieftain and a two-time governor of Lagos State and a top contender for the position of Nigerian president in the 2023 elections under the ticket of the ruling APC.

The Ondo State governor who is also a member of the ruling party recently defended his party`s decision to choose two Muslims as flagbearer and running mate, which became very controversial nationwide.

The decision was widely criticized by both Christians and Muslims in both the North and the Southern part of the country, who demanded a balanced ticket with a Christian running mate.

Governor Akeredolu recently rose in defence of this decision of his party to field Muslim-Muslim ticket describing it as a none issue and should not really matter in the run up to the election.

However, in a life television interview on Wednesday by Channels Television, monitored by Clariform, the governor made a comment that may suggest in some quarters that he may not be fully into the APC presidential project.

In his response to a question from the TV anchor demanding to know whether he will hold same position over Muslim-Muslim ticket if he were not currently a member of the APC, he said yes.

However, he also further said that what matters to him in the 2023 presidential election is the victory of a southern candidate, which could be either Peter Obi of the Labour Party or Bola Tinubu of his own APC.

Notable Quotes

When asked if he would have supported a Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket if he was in the opposition party, the Ondo governor said religion should not be an issue in the 2023 elections.

In his words, “I would have said the same thing. If you had listened to my lecture today, I was very clear. I said that religion is not the issue now.”

“We have other issues that should be on the front burner today in this country — the issue of restructuring, issue of the rotational presidency, among others.”

“I said, ‘look, since 1999, there is an understanding that we will move from north to south — rotate the presidency. And if today, we have people who want to deploy what I call manipulation of our people on a religious basis to think that they can change this (call for the southern presidency), then we should not accept it.”

“For me, it is not because of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. If you listened to my lecture, I said if Obi is elected as president, for me, that will be all right. If Bola Tinubu is elected, that will be all right. For me, it must come to the south; that is the position.”

Takeaway

Clariform reports that the candidate of the Labour Party , Mr Peter Obi has in a very short time become a very popular contender for the office of the Nigerian president. This is not withstanding the fact that he is bargaining for the office from was initially seen as very weak position as a member of the Labour Party.

Labour Party unlike the ruling All Progressive Congress and the biggest opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party, does not boost of what is usually referred to as “political structure” around the country. The LP did not have governors or major National Assembly members in any state as at the time Obi became the candidate of the party.

Surprisingly, the tide seem to be turning in the recent days, as many Nigerians, including seating National Assembly members are now joining the Labour Party.

Clariform investigation also reveals that many Nigerians are rooting for a Peter Obi presidency across party lines. This includes some existing members of the ruling APC and the opposition PDP, who have not resigned membership of their party.