Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
A group known as Peter Obi Support Network (POSN), Austria branch, has asked the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), counterpart, Atiku Abubakar, to focus on their 2023 projects and stop their unwarranted verbal attacks on the presidential flag bearer of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi.
The group reminded the duo that their continuous derogatory remarks on Obi and the Labour Party, are counter-productive as the attacks rather make the former Anambra State Governor more popular.
POSN observed that despite their pretensions both Tinubu and Atiku are jittery over Obi’s swelling nationwide support that is now making them behave like people in the opposition.
The group also asks APC and PDP to withdraw their candidates from the 2023 presidential election for lack of vision and in the best interest of Nigeria and to support Obi and Ahmed.
This was contained in a press statement signed on behalf of the group by Prince Dyke Anyanwu, Leonard Kazie Obiagwu and Uzoma Ahamefule.
The group which noted that “it is only trees that bear fruits get stoned,” however, advised Atiku and Tinubu to rather consider withdrawing from the race honourably if they have no agenda instead of advertising their unpreparedness through unwarranted vituperation against Obi.
The statement made available to Ikengaonline read in part: “If one had a few months ago told Bola Ahmed Tinubu of APC and Atiku Abubakar of PDP that they would today be acting like opposition parties to the Labour Party or consider Peter Obi as thorn in their flesh that would cause them sleepless nights they would not have believed.
“Because they believed that they were the only two parties that could challenge each other, that they had buildings as structures in every part of Nigeria, and that they had the money to influence and curry any political favour they want, but the reality of the huge followership of Peter Obi in every part of Nigeria has destabilized and shocked them, and it seems very difficult for them to accept the hard truth.
“Let them wake up from their delusional slumbers of thinking that when they shamelessly make Obi their cardinal points of campaign of disparagement at any given opportunity Nigerians will hate him. Tell them also not to be deceived by the Osun State governorship election results because Osun people voted Adeleke and not PDP, the same way Nigerians will vote for Obi and Ahmed in 2023, and that they should be prepared for fantastic defeats.”
The Obi support group told Atiku and Tinubu the the Nigeria electorates would shun inducements, and put competence above any other considerations in making their choices in 2023.
“In their archaic method of campaigning, the camp of APC’s Tinubu is packaging rice and garri in nylon bags, and perhaps would give tokens for tomatoes when the time comes as political strategies to win the vote of Nigerians, and they are in competition with PDP’s serial presidential contestant, Atiku Abubakar, who would give more rice and beans.
“These two failed political parties have nothing to offer Nigerians at the center, and they are consciously aware that Nigerians have woken up and that every plan of vote buying will fail, hence they are jittery, making rascal statements and telling lies against Peter Obi.”
POSN said Nigerians were determined to take back their country in 2023, arguing that Obi remains the only beacon of hope they see for now.
“The collective decision of Nigerians to take back their country and to get out from the state of corruption, retrogression and abyss caused by PDP and APC is heightened by everyday events. And this resoluteness is closing up the nostril of PDP and APC that has irredeemably forced them into a very uncomfortable situation and they are choking,” said POSN Austria.
The group challenged Tinubu to present proof that he attended Primary and Secondary schools instead of wasting resources to hire lawyers to defend him in court.
“Tinubu’s deliberate action not to tell Nigerians the schools he attended and when he finished, is a reminiscent of Buhari’s primary school certificate saga in 2014 where instead of him (Buhari) providing his certificate as requested by law, he went on to spend millions of the Nigerians’ tax payers’ money to employ SANs to defend him from answering very simply questions of: where is your certificate?
“And as a people we are yet to overcome the colossal effect of that quagmire and cannot afford to take the same path again. Therefore, Nigerian people have resolved never again will they allow someone who cannot simply tell them the primary and the secondary schools he attended and show them the certificates, to be their President.”
