Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State has hailed the acceptability of the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate Peter Obi but believes this may not translate to victory for the former Anambra governor in next year’s exercise.
BASIC FACTS
- APC Governor of Ebonyi State Dave Umahi have again acknowledged Peter Obi as a popular candidate for the presidential election.
- Governor Dave Umahi says Obi’s popularity is based on equity, justice and fairness.
- The APC chieftain also says that Obi’s popularity may not translate to electoral victory.
WHAT WE KNOW
The Governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi has acknowledged the rising popularity of the Labour Party Presidential candidate Peter Obi. Umahi also affirmed that Obi’s acceptability is good for the South East.
Dave Umahi spoke on Friday in Abuja after his visit to President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House. According to him, while Obi’s level of acceptability across the country is heart-warming, especially for the southeast region, it won’t be enough to unseat the ruling party.
The Ebonyi State Governor said the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate Bola Tinubu is poised to win next year’s presidential poll, arguing that the party has the “structure” and “spread” to achieve that.
NOTABLE QUOTE
Dave Umahi while speaking in Abuja about Peter Obi`s popularity, said, “So, while my party takes the victory, he would have prepared a very good ground for the south-east presidency, so that nobody is going to write us off. And you can see the level of his acceptability, which does not translate to victory over APC. I’m sure of that,” the governor told the press after meeting with president buhari.
Speaking further and with particular reference to the political movement led by Peter Obi David Umahi said, “But it’s a good movement. And it reassures the south-east people and the entire country that we are accepted, you know; that we will one day become the president of this country. It is very important.”
“Peter Obi movement” is one built on equity, justice, and fairness.
“it may not translate to outright win because I must defend my party; I must wish my party well and I have the ticket of my party. But whether what he is doing has meaning there, it is not only in the southeast; it does have meaning”.
CATCH-UP
Recall that Dave Umahi was one of the 23 presidential candidates that contested the APC Presidential primaries last June in Abuja.
In an earlier interview some weeks back, Umahi had refused to respond to questions on why he is not supporting Labour Party Presidential candidate Peter Obi, inspite of been from the South East.
Umahi, who at the interview had said his loss was an act of God, promised to set the records right when the campaign starts.
COMMENTARY
The presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi has become the most popular politician in the recent times, following his acceptability across the country.
He started his campaign for the office of the Nigerian president from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), but later dumped the party before the primary was even conducted.
Peter Obi said he decided to leave the PDP because the process of the party primarily where the flagbearer will be elected was heavily monitised and went against his personal principles and political believes.
He said then that he was not prepared to buy his way to become the president of Nigeria as that will come with lots of baggage for him or anyone that emerges through such process.
His emergence as the flagbearer of the Labour Party was a consensus and he immediately began to rise in popularity nationwide. He is today the darling of the Nigerian youths and most technocrats in the country.
His critics have said that his party, the LP does not have the structure to deliver his victory in the 2023 election. They also say that Peter Obi himself does not have the political clout personally or the funding to win the presidential election.
However, these critics have been countered repeatedly by watchers of events, who argue that the real structure for political victory are the people. They contend that the people`s vote will count in the coming election, and that is what matters.
They also say that “political structures” as known in Nigeria are platforms for vote rigging and not necessarily vote mobilization, and that the 2022 Electoral Act will make it almost impossible for these structures to have their way.
Therefore, the comment by Governor David Umahi is not a surprise coming from a man who could be seen in the southeast as a betrayer of the quest for Igbo president in 2023.
However, to some, it could still be surprising how the APC and her leaders are still fixated on what they refer to as “structures”, but what is structure without popularity?
If David Umahi have acknowledged the popularity of Peter Obi, he has also invariably admitted the unpopularity of his APC candidate, Bola Tinubu. How then can he also turn around to say that Obi`s candidacy cannot translate to victory?
Can the APC truly distinguish between popularity and victory in the outcome of a credible, free and fair election? The answer is no. Therefore, the Ebonyi State governor by his statement has simply acknowledged that the APC is relying on rigging the 2023 election?
