•Report by Mudasir Opeyemi
The former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode has reacted to the endorsement of Peter Obi by former president Olusegun Obasanjo on Sunday saying that such endorsement is nothing but an an effort in futility.
Obasanjo had on Sunday in his new year message declared his support for the presidential candidate of Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi.
Reacting to this, Fani-Kayode, who was a Minister under Obasanjo and now the Director, New Media, APC’s Presidential Campaign Council, said his endorsement of Obi would not affect the chances of the APC’s presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s chances of winning the presidency in February.
Fani-Kayode who made his stand known via a tweet said though Obasanjo remains a father of the nation but that doesn’t stop him from disagreeing with him when and where necessary.
“OBJ (Obasanjo) remains a father to us all and I will always respect him. Despite that I reserve the right to disagree with him when & where necessary.
“His endorsement of Peter Obi is not only inexplicable but also an exercise in futility. It is Bola Tinubu’s time: nothing can change that,” Fani-Kayode tweeted
“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.
“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.
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“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,” the former president had written
Reacting, the spokesperson for the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, Festus Keyamo, SAN, said it was quite within Obasanjo’s right to endorse anyone, but that it is bad for PDP.
“Quite within OBJ’s right to endorse anyone, but bad for PDP in 2 ways: Atiku’s former boss does not think he deserves to be President this time around and The little support OBJ gave PDP in 2019 & they failed, he has taken that away to LP. It is @officialABAT‘s time: nothing can change that,” Keyamo tweeted
In his swift reaction to the purported endorsement, the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu described the endorsement as “worthless”
He added that Obasanjo’s stand on Obi won’t make any difference
He said the purported endorsement by Chief Obasanjo was not in anyway caught them by surprise adding that any discerning political watcher in the country knew where the former president belong even before he made it officially known in his new year message
“We make bold to say that our party and candidate, Asíwájú Bola Ahmed Tinubu will not lose sleep over Obasanjo’s move, as Obasanjo is notorious for always opposing progressive political forces, as he did against MKO Abiola in 1993.
“The endorsement is actually worthless because the former President does not possess any political goodwill or leverage anywhere in Nigeria to make anyone win a councillorship election let alone win a Presidential election.He is a political paperweight.
“He is also not a democrat anyone should be proud to be associated with.
“In 2003 and 2007 general elections when Obasanjo was a sitting President, he used all the coercive instruments of State at his disposal to railroad people into elective offices against the will of Nigerians as expressed at the polls.
“In 2007, he(Obasanjo) declared the polls a do or die affair after he failed in his bid to amend our constitution to have a third term. From our records, President Obasanjo has not successfully made anyone win election in Nigeria since then.
“Not even in Ogun State can anyone rely on his support or endorsement to become a governor or Councillor.
“We pity Peter Gregory Obi as we are confident that Chief Obasanjo can not win his polling unit and ward in Abeokuta for Obi in the coming Presidential election on 25 February, 2023.
“Chief Obasanjo’s endorsement is not a political currency Mr. Peter Obi can spend anywhere in Nigeria because he is not a political force, even in his part of the country.”
Tibubu further stressed that, when Chief Obasanjo pitched his tent with Atiku Abubakar against the incumbent President, Muhammad Buhari in 2019, he(Obasanjo) failed as Atiku was defeated with a wide margin
“History will repeat itself in February as our candidate Asíwájú Bola Ahmed Tinubu will equally beat Obi by a large margin.
“We take a particular notice of the part of the endorsement statement where Chief Obasanjo said none of the presidential candidates is a Saint.
“We want to state here that Chief Obasanjo is not a good judge of character. He is a man who considers only himself as the all-knowing Saint in Nigeria.
“Over the years, Chief Obasanjo has also convinced himself that integrity, honesty and all good virtues begin and end with him,”Tinubu had reacted in a statement on Monday