Peter Obi already has 15m votes in the bag - LP boasts

Okupe made this declaration shortly after the unveiling of Labour Party's Presidential Campaign Council on Wednesday, October 12, 2022.

Pulse reports that a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Zarewa, was named the chairman of the council, while Clement Ojukwu and Yunusa Tanko were emerged the secretary and spokesperson respectively.

15m votes secured: Okupe, who was named the DG of the PCC, expressed optimism that Obi can be sure of at least 15 million voters “in the bag,” while 80 per cent of new voters were his supporters, The Punch reports.

Obi rules the social media space: According to Okupe, the former Anambra State Governor is the most popular presidential candidate on social media, claiming that 50 per cent of the 38 million eligible voters online are 'Obidients'.

Okupe tackles APC, PDP: The PCC DG also threw some jabs at the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples' Democratic Party (PDP) whom he described as expired commodities with defective structures.

Okupe said both the APC and PDP presidential candidates would have been disqualified from the start of the race had there been in place a strict pre-qualification process.

Okupe's word: “I am not talking about the dubious nature of educational records, nor even allegations of foreign court certified criminal narcotic records , nor any basis of poor health, and not even of falsified or advanced age but I refer to the fundamental parameters of competence and character, where none of these other known candidates, measure up in any way to the sterling qualities of Peter Obi and Dr. Yusuf Datti-Ahmed.

“Similarly, on the considerations of true nationalism, geographical equity and fairness of ticket, none of them come close.

“The PDP candidate is a product of an unjust and dishonourable process that clearly violates the equitable rights of the entire southern Nigeria and the desire for balance in presidential power, already enshrined in the constitution and history of that party which was shamelessly subverted by subterfuge, and indeed anything built on injustice , ungodliness and evil conspiracy, can never stand.

“As for the APC, the presidential candidacy is fundamentally flawed through the adoption of a skewed and insensitive muslim-muslim ticket, despite all objections across religious lines in a highly religiously sensitive country like Nigeria and at a time were all reason, calls for maturity , fairness, equity, justice and balance for the good of the country.

“Nigerian youth, by this new, unprecedented demonstration of political vibrancy, have signaled to the failing and fading established political order, and transactional political class, that they are tired of the leadership failure that has brought Nigeria, the giant of Africa, to her knees today.

“The arrogant, corrupt and clearly selfish practices of this old order politicians and their parties, who believe they can always buy their way into power, and always compromise every institution, have now been spotlighted and stand totally rejected by this new class of Nigerian voters.

“The large crowds of highly disciplined ,self organised, self-funded, self-motivated and clearly trans-ethnic-politico-religious groups and vocal associations of youths simultaneously calling for a new political culture and new leadership personae, across all the country’s political regions, in a sustained, orderly but insistent manner, is a clear call and warning to us as a country to sit up, shape up and do what is right, before it becomes too late.”