2023 Election: Real reason ‘why Peter Obi couldn’t beat Tinubu’, ex-federal commissioner speaks

The real reason that led to Peter Obi's failure to win the presidential election has been revealed by Razaq Abubakre, an Emeritus Professor and former federal commissioner.

The professor said Labour Party (LP) flagbearer in the February 25 presidential election, Peter Obi could not have beaten president-elect Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the poll.

Abubakre, also a former vice-chancellor of Al-Hikmah University Ilorin in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Friday, May 5th, alleged that Obi’s lacklustre performance as former governor of Anambra state worked against him, The Nation newspaper reported.

The technocrat said that Obi’s inability to build leaders, unlike Tinubu, who has inspired several leaders nationally and internationally, was part of his undoing, Vanguard report added.

“His alleged impropriety with state funds, as confirmed during an interview with Kadria Ahmed that he invested state funds in his family business, is also part of his undoing,” Abubakre alleged.

Yakubu Gowon, the former head of state, has said politicians who have cases before the election petition tribunals should accept the judiciary's decision in good faith. Gowon, in a message to Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party, who are challenging the outcome of the presidential election, made the call on Thursday, May 4.

Gowon's comment is coming ahead of the sitting of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, which will commence on Monday, May 8.

Apapa, the factional leader of the Labour Party, has debunked the rumour making round on social media that Bola Tinubu, the president-elect, is sponsoring him to cause problems in the party.

Apapa made the denial in reaction to the growing controversies about the leadership of the Labour Party that was currently factionalized between Julius Abure and Lamidi Apapa, The Tribune reported.

The Apapa faction of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Labour Party maintained that it would pursue the petition of the party before the Presidential Election Tribunal to a logical conclusion.