Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, addressed Omoyele Sowore’s criticisms on Sunday, attributing them to his popularity among Nigerian youths. Sowore, the African Action Congress (AAC) candidate, had recently claimed that Obi was worse than former President Muhammadu Buhari and was misleadingly promoted during the elections.
In an interview, Obi’s media aide Yunusa Tanko suggested that Sowore’s remarks stem from resentment, noting that the youth’s preference for Obi was clear before, during, and after the 2023 elections.
“In the game of politics, people see it as an opportunity to de-market their even when they know their opponent is credible, has capacity and even far better than them. The truth is that, Comrade Omoyele Sowore was thinking that he was going to get the support of the Nigerian youths”.
“Unfortunately, the Nigerian youths having carefully considered both men, decided to align with Peter Obi. They are resonating with his message and they believe he is the leader Nigeria needs at this critical time in our nation’s history. Sowore has been campaigning for long but his messages did not resonate with Nigerian youths”.
“That is why Sowore sees Peter Obi as a bitter rival who has taken over the youth constituency which he thought he had control of. Nothing more. That is why he keeps using everything at his disposal to attack Peter Obi and bring down his popularity. Unfortunately, the more the attacks, the more Obi’s popularity continues to soar both in Nigeria and on the global stage”.
While urging Sowore and others to rally Peter Obi, Tanko also said it is wrong for Sowore to compare him with Buhari as they are two different personalities.
“The problem is that while we saw abysmal performance of Muhammadu Buhari. But Peter Obi and Muhammadu Buhari are not the same person. So, it will also be good to give an opportunity to Peter Obi so he can prove Sowore wrong in his perception”.
“Nigerians will choose Obi over Sowore anyday because he has the track records and antecedents. Till date, all the claims of Obi cannot be faulted by anybody. He left N75b to the coffers of Anambra state. In education, he was able to bring Anambra state from 26th to 1st position. He connected all Anambra local governments with good road during his tenure as governor. Also during his tenure, there was no single case of armed robbery. Till date, nobody has been able to link him with any fraud, corruption of misuse of government funds”.
“Let Sowore and others yearning for good governance support him, so that together, we can restore Nigeria to its rightful place in the comity of nations”.
