Former national secretary of the Labour Party, Kayode Ajulo, has said the presidential flag-bearer of the part in the 2023 presidential election, Peter Obi, is not prepared to be Nigeria’s president.
Ajulo, a constitutional lawyer, said Obi’s choice of running mate may be one more clog in the wheel of his ambition.
Ajulo said Obi needed to put together a convincing, realistic manifesto rather than making unconvincing references to nations whose diverse beliefs and cultures were totally at variance with Nigeria.
“Obi’s manifesto is more of rhetorical analysis than viable plans to solve the myriad of problems (or even one of them) facing this country at this critical time,” Ajulo said in a statement. “I have listened to Peter Obi at different times since he began his campaigns and I can say that he has not been able to convince discerning Nigerians of his readiness for the job for which he campaigns.”
He added: “All he has been saying is what should be done which is not alien to every Nigerian (after all, even the street hawker knows the problem with Nigeria) but has failed to advance any plan about his solutions to resolving those issues in concrete terms and how he intends to do them.
“Obi merely complains, which he and his uncritical followers mistake for a manifesto.
“It would seem that Obi did very little consultations with the northern critical stakeholders in determining the choice of his running mate.
“His running mate, Senator Batti Baba Ahmed is an intelligent and a good man, certainly qualified for the job of even the President but the present situation of the country is not only about looking good on one’s certificates or even in the bank.
“The challenge that has bred economic hardship in Nigeria even in the midst of our plenty should have been a major point of concern before picking his running mate.
“To me, that challenge is the state of insecurity in the country which has risen exponentially in the last decade. I honestly believe that that should be the first thing to consider because nothing can properly work amidst insecurity.”
He frowned at the strategy deployed by Obi’s supporters in marketing his ambition, adding that his years of experience in politics have taught him that mob actions do not translate to genuine support.
“Let me advise Peter Obi as a former National Secretary of the Labour Party. He needs to study the manifestos of the Labour Party to be able to design a well thought out plan.
“He should take a cue from the former Governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, who defeated an already established structure of the then incumbent People’s Democratic Party in a keenly contested governorship election within three months of joining the Labour Party.”
Ajulo was of the view that Obi must be able to convince Nigerians he’s totally in control of at least six states of Nigeria outside of his home state of Anambra before he could expect to win the 2023 presidential election.
