2023: Major boost for Peter Obi as Gov Ugwuanyi’s media aide, Jonathan joins campaign

With the 2023 presidential elections drawing near, the campaign of Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party has received a massive boost as he has been endorsed by the media aide to Governor Ifeanyi of Enugu State, Mr. Emmanuel Jonathan.

This was made known in a statement made available to the press on Wednesday, January 11.

Recall that Mr Jonathan's principal, Governor Ugwuanyi is one of the G-5 governors who are having a running battle with the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar. However, the governors are still silent on their choice of candidate for the election.

His endorsement of the former Anambra governor makes him the first of Ugwuanyi's appointees to do so.

He is to lead one of the Obi’s campaign groups, Obi/Datti Apostles Presidential Campaign Support Group.

The PDP chieftain said in the statement that he could no longer keep mute in the face of bad leadership, stressing that he had chosen to add his voice in support of the Peter Obi/Datti Yusuf Baba-Ahmed presidential ambition.

“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 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,” he said.

While noting that zoning, equity, justice and capacity favoured Obi, Jonathan said it was “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.

“This is because they failed to appreciate the word truth, capacity, equity and justice, and the conventional gentleman understanding on 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.

“Among these three political parties, the PDP failed to learn from their mistake in 2015 when they decided to contest against the tide that made them lose the seat of the president to APC, while the APC this time around 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 ground, they went ahead to elect/nominate a Muslim/Muslim Ticket which is an aberration to peace and harmony considering the fact that Nigeria is densely populated by Christians and Muslims which has always 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.

“The fact that the two of them have built successful different business empires that has not only created employment but has placed food on the table of many Nigerians is a major point in their favour.”

He added that “the Obi/Datti Labour Party presidential ticket presents the youthfulness and smartness that is currently in tune in different countries of the world and based on this consideration, the likes of Ahmed Bola Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar would do better in making useful contributions in the committee of elders’ council of our dear country Nigeria rather than exposing themselves to stressful task of the exalted office of a president at their present respective age.”

“Both Tinubu and Atiku’s 2023 Presidential ambition would rather create more divisiveness than the love which Nigeria needs at this moment of our Nationhood.

“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.”

“Based on these reasons and many more that I cannot state here for the sake of the respect I have for both Tinubu and Atiku who are old enough to be my parents, I 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 our dear country.

“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.

Jonathan announced his position as the Director-General of the Obi/Datti Apostles Presidential Campaign Support Group.