Yesterday, former president Olusegun Obasanjo and governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State provided additional justification for their support of Mr. Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP.
Obasanjo defended his letter in which he publicly supported Obi by claiming that God would punish him if he did the wrong thing.
Governor Ortom in his own view argued that while Obi was not flawless, like most people, he nevertheless possessed the traits of the kind of leader Nigeria needed at this time in her history.
The two leaders who spoke at different fora shared their different views about why Peter Obi is the ideal candidate.
Obasanjo spoke while featuring on an interactive session of the Experiential Leadership in Africa (TEL-Africa), held in Abeokuta, Ogun State. The TEL-AFRICA global interactive session had as its theme ‘Executive Decisions, Indecisions, and Leadership Development in Africa.’
He asserted that in the upcoming general elections, only “unpatriotic and bad Nigerians” would support a candidate with a negative reputation.
The former president endorsed Obi in his New Year’s message to Nigerians, which was headlined “My appeal to all Nigerians particularly young Nigerians.” However, the news sparked criticism from both Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Obasanjo argued that he did not use the word “endorse,” but rather that he merely provided his opinion on the candidates while defending his support for Obi.
He said: “Whether the letter is open or not open, what I believe is that I will be punished by God if I know what is right and I did not put it where it should be. The word I used is that one particular candidate has an edge, taking everything together and I take character, I take track record, I take vision and I take what you see in this man as a child of God.
“I said they all claimed to be my mentees and of course I won’t deny that, but if you are my mentee, they must also admit that I know them a little bit and if I then know them a little bit, I must have the right to say. I have done this in the past before for President Buhari. I said President Buhari does not really understand economy and that is true and you have seen it. I wasn’t running him down, that is what he is and he himself will admit that.”
“I said his (Buhari) understanding of foreign affairs is also very little because when he was Military Head of State, he said his frontline does not go beyond the borders of Nigeria, that is a pity. But what then do you have. I wrote a letter almost six and a half pages and then only one sentence.”
“Why should you as a Nigerian vote for somebody that the character, the reputation, the life of which you do not want your own children to be? It is either you are wicked, you are unpatriotic or you are really, really a bad citizen of this country and then if this is who you are, what do you want God to do with you and that is the way I see it.”
“For the last three days, I have about 35 youths who I have been talking to and they all told me that education, security and corruption are what they are concerned about, the question is who then can do it?”
On his part, Governor Ortom defended his preference for Obi, claiming that he would have led the campaign if he had not been a PDP member. He added that if efforts to reach an understanding with the G-5 governors were unsuccessful, the national leadership of his party, led by Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, should bear all responsibilities.
In an interview, Ortom said that while Obi is not flawless, like most people, he nevertheless bears the traits of the kind of leader Nigeria needs at this time in her history.
He particularly praised President Olusegun Obasanjo for endorsing Peter Obi for the onerous task of providing leadership for Nigeria at this time. Ortom said: “So, here is someone that is looking ahead and wants the best for our country, Nigeria. Today, he has recommended Peter Obi.
“Honestly, if I were not in PDP, I would have been the one at the forefront of carrying Peter Obi’s bag and campaigning for him because so far, he is the best material.
“He is what this country needs to get things right. Somebody with clean records. That is not to be questioned, though nobody is perfect. Nobody is God, no human being is God. But here is somebody who has distinguished himself.
“So, if I were to offer advice on the best material for president, I will tell you that it is Peter Obi.
“He made some mistakes, especially on the issue of third term that came, otherwise, nobody should contest the integrity and patriotism, forthrightness and also the zeal to see a greater Nigeria more than President Obasanjo.
