Olusegun Obasanjo, a former president, has explained why he won’t support Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s (LP) presidential candidate.
In his New Year’s message to Nigerians, titled “My appeal to all Nigerians particularly young Nigerians,” the former president reportedly received both praise and criticism for supporting Peter Obi’s presidential campaign.
Obasanjo said he has done his part by publicly endorsing his candidate while speaking on Thursday at a virtual engagement hosted by Africa Leadership Group with the theme: “Leadership and nation-building.”
He emphasized that leadership requires character, attributes, attitude, skills, and most importantly, a fear of God, while also stating that he had no regrets about leading Nigeria.
Nigeria is where we are because of leadership.
We must decisively look for men and women who have the character, attributes, skill and attitude that we need for leadership, that will deliver in this country, he said.
Obasanjo noted that he has done his best by making his endorsement public, adding that he is not a member of any political party.
I am not in campaign train. I’ve used benefit of my experience and I’ve put plainly.
I do not belong to any political party. I will not join any campaign train. I’ve said what is best for the country, Obasanjo said.
2023: Obasanjo Speaks On Receiving Inducement Over Peter Obi’s Endorsement
In the meantime, Obasanjo has voiced his displeasure over the allegations that he was given something in exchange for endorsing Peter Obi to win the 2023 election.
According to this publication, Obasanjo’s aide told the Daily Post about the former president’s position during an interview.
Recall that Obasanjo openly endorsed Peter Obi in his New Year’s message and urged Nigerian youths to do the same.
The All Progressives Congress (APC), the party in power, and the Peoples Democratic Party were both shaken by the endorsement, which is widely regarded as a significant boost for Obi’s presidential aspirations (PDP).
However, some articles and social media posts claimed that Obasanjo had accepted inducements from the former governor of Anambra State.
One of his aides refuted the claim, stating that Obasanjo cannot be bought, on the condition of anonymity.
He further questioned whether free speech has become a problem in the nation and pondered how a man who had served as both a military and civilian leader of the nation could sell his conscience.
The aide claims that Obasanjo is upset about the allegations of inducement but chose to disregard them because the publication did not come from a reputable source.