•Report by Mudasir Opeyemi
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has finally endorsed the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi as his preferred contestant for the 2023 general elections.
Obasanjo disclosed this in his 2023 New Year message personally signed by him and made available to newsmen on Sunday.
Obasanjo described Obi as his mentee noting that the former Anambra State governor has an edge in the February 25, 2023 election.
“I will at this juncture want to commend the politicians as they have generally been reasonably civil in their campaigns without making politics as a call to war against opponents. Genuine and fair competition conveys greater legitimacy in any political rivalry or competition. A situation where people in authority and power assume such positions through foul and despicable means and continue to espouse and act in ways that only engender conflict or war by subverting legitimacy of power and authority does not augur well for the polity and as such, the moral foundation of the government and the society will be terribly weakened.
“May God help, save, protect and sustain Nigeria for all Nigerians, for Africa and for the human race. We can only continue to play politics of ethnicity, religion, region and money bags at the peril of our country and to self-destruction.
“We need selfless, courageous, honest, patriotic, in short, outstanding leadership with character and fear of God beyond what we have had in recent past.
“None of the contestants is a saint but when one compares their character, antecedent, their understanding, knowledge, discipline, and vitality that they can bring to bear and the great efforts required to stay focused on the job, particularly looking at where the country is today and with the experience on the job that I personally had, Peter Obi as a mentee has an edge.
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“Others like all of us have what they can collectively contribute to the new dispensation to liberation, restoration and salvaging of Nigeria.
“One other important point to make about Peter is that he is a needle with thread attached to it from North and South and he may not get lost.
“In other words, he has people who can pull his ears, if and when necessary. He has a young and able running mate with a clean track record of achievement both in public and private life.”
https://twitter.com/oolusegun_obj/status/1609569534909743108?s=46&t=-6viUkfrnnIagcTOqOzxRAObasanjo said he was “constrained to write this letter to all Nigerians, especially young Nigerians, friends of Nigeria globally as well as our development partners because of the gravity, responsibility and implications of the collective decision Nigerians, both young and old will be making within the next two months. The last seven and a half years have no doubt been eventful and stressful years for many Nigerians. We have moved from frying pan to fire and from mountain top to the valley.”
He said life has been hellish for those alive just as he asked Nigeria to pray hard for immediate better future.
“I believe that we need not be confused nor be gullible. Let us be cautious, not to be fooled again.
I have interacted with the major contestants and I find it interesting that, in one form or the other, each of them claims to want to do what I did during my Presidency and to take Nigeria back to where it was at the height of my Presidency and immediately after. I was pained that most of them do not realise that the Nigeria of today had been dragged down well below Nigeria of the beginning of my Presidency in June 1999.” Obasanjo wrote