Reno Omokri, a former adviser to former President Goodluck Jonathan and a strong supporter of Peoples’ Democratic Party presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, has said that former President Olusegun Obasanjo has always wanted a president from the southeast.
Weighing in on the former president’s endorsement of Labor Party presidential candidate Peter Obi as his chosen candidate for president, Omokri on Sunday night took to his Twitter page to express his views on the matter.
Omokri, who described Obasanjo as a good-hearted man, said the former president wants a president from the southeast to heal the wounds of the 1967-1970 civil war.
Omokri tweeted: “Obasanjo is a good-hearted man. He has always wanted a president from SE or close to SE as a way to heal the wounds of the civil war. In 2007, he wanted Peter Odili, but Yar’adua insisted that Governor Jonathan be vice president.
However, he added: “What OBJ did will not affect the election!”
the punch reported on Sunday that Obasanjo in a letter to Nigerians endorsed Obi as their chosen candidate for president ahead of the 2023 presidential election in February.
In the 2023 New Year message signed by the former president and made available to journalists by his aide, Kehinde Akinyemi, Obasanjo described Obi as his apprentice and said the former Anambra state governor had an advantage in the 2023 election. .
Obasanjo’s letter read in part: “None of the contestants are saints, but when one compares their character, background, understanding, knowledge, discipline and vitality they can bring to the table and the great efforts required to stay focused on work, particularly watching where the country is today and with the experience on the job that I personally had, Peter Obi as a trainee has an advantage.
“Others, like all of us, have what they can collectively contribute to the new dispensation for the deliverance, restoration and salvation of Nigeria.
“Another important point to note about Peter is that he is a needle with threads attached from the north and south and may not get lost.
“In other words, you have people who can pull your ears, if and when you need to. He has a capable young running mate with a clean record of achievement in both public and private life.”
The ruling All Progressives Party and the opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party have strongly protested against Obasanjo’s endorsement of Obi, who took power as president under the PDP.
the punch reported that both APC and PDP claimed that Obasanjo’s endorsement of Obi would have no electoral value in the upcoming elections.
Responding to Obasanjo’s lengthy message, APC Presidential Campaign Council Director of Media and Publicity Bayo Onanuga said Tinubu would not lose any sleep over the former president’s endorsement of his Labor Party counterpart.
During a telephone conversation with the punch, PDP National Publicity Secretary Debo Ologunagba said: “What is important is the support of the Nigerian people. An individual’s endorsement, no matter how high up, does not translate into victory at the polls.
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