Why he thinks so: Melaye said Obi, who was a former governor of Anambra State was not known until Atiku discovered him.

He added that any reformer in Nigeria, who emerged from 1999 till date, was discovered by Atiku.

Melaye said this over the weekend in Abuja while speaking at an event organised by a women’s political group, Diamond Ladies in Politics.

“Obi is a fantastic Nigerian, but he was not known nationally until Atiku identified him. Atiku is a talent hunter. Everyone who was a reformer in this country from 1999 till date was a discovery of Atiku.

“Atiku discovered Obi before keyboard warriors discovered Obi. Unfortunately, elections are not going to take place on social media. It is going to take place at the polling units. And those that would vote are the people here. So it is now operation votes must count,” he said.

A shot fired at Tinubu: Melaye also tackled Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)

According to him, Tinubu and others seeking to become Nigeria’s president in 2023 do not possess the requisite foundation to compare themselves with Atiku.

“Unfortunately, both of them are very wealthy, but there is a difference. Atiku is a billionaire with enterprise, while Tinubu is a billionaire without enterprise. He has a history of a physical business in agriculture, education, oil and gas, media, manufacturing, and banking,” he said.

In her remarks, the convener of the Diamond Ladies in politics, Princess Maimunat Wada, promised to garner at least two million votes for Atiku in the forthcoming election.