Igbo group hails Obasanjo for advocating power shift to youths

The Movement for Election of President of Igbo Extraction has commended ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo for advocating power shift to the youth ahead of the 2023 election.

Real reason why group is praising Obasanjo: The group hailed the former Head of State for endorsing Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

What the Igbo group said: A statement by the Convener, Vincent Ezekwueme said Obasanjo had always stood for what is right and fair.

Ezekwueme said Obi would revamp and transform Nigeria in tandem with the philosophy and ideology of the founding fathers.

“The reason why we are being governed as fools is because good people sit back and do nothing”, he noted.

Ezekwueme added that Obasanjo has engraved his name in the hearts and minds of Nigerians and beyond.

“The former leader is seeking to entrench good governance, inclusiveness, justice, equality and equity,” the statement added.

He urged well-meaning Nigerians to speak out against the “numerous challenges bedeviling the country”.

Background story: Obasanjo has been under heavy media traction since his New Year’s day endorsement of Peter Obi for the 2023 presidential polls.

Reactions: The endorsement appears to have ignited more fireworks in the Nigerian polity as the Presidency has reacted to the development.

In criticising Obasanjo, Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, took to a lengthy statement on Monday, January 2, 2023, in reply to the ex-President, saying he would naturally stop at nothing to attack the person of Buhari because of his track records.

The All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, has described Obasanjo’s endorsement of Peter Obi, as worthless.

Tinubu said Obasanjo lacked any political goodwill or leverage in Nigeria to make Obi win the presidential election.

Speaking through his Director of Media and Publicity, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu said the former president was a political paperweight.

Reacting to the criticisms, former lawmaker, Shehu Sani urged aggrieved politicians to stop attacking Obasanjo over his decision to endorse Peter Obi for the forthcoming presidential poll.

Why this matters: Obasanjo would have generally been expected to endorse the vice president that served under his tenure, Atiku Abubakar, of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, or his fellow Western Nigerian, Tinubu.