A coalition of youths in Anambra has called on the presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, to quit the 2023 presidential race.
The Coalition of Anambra Youth Leaders (CAYL) said that the former Anambra governor should instead join hands with progressives forces in the South-east to negotiate a brighter political future for the Igbo people.
National Leader of the coalition, Dr. Chinedu Ekwealor made the call on Obi to back out of the race in Awka, Anambra State on Tuesday.
According to him, there is a genuine fear that Obi’s presidential ambition will negatively impact the Igbo cause and help the All Progressives Congress (APC) to retain power in 2023.
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“Obi’s presidential run is sabotage to Ndigbo…If Mr. Peter Obi truly loves Ndigbo, he should step down forthwith and strategise with other well-meaning Igbo elites in charting a way forward for the Igbo nation,” he said.
Ekwealor noted that the APC experiment has been a disastrous one for Nigeria and must not be allowed to continue beyond 2023.
He warned that another four years of APC rule could spell doom for the country.
Ekwealor added that Ndigbo stand a better chance of returning to power at the center through the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
He said that “Obi does not have a mathematical chance of making victory possible”, adding that “let us not be emotional about it. No Igbo man can be President of Nigeria without a formidable alliance with the other major regions that make up Nigeria.”
He stated that “in the early ’60s and late ’70s, Ndigbo understood this point quite frankly and maintained a robust relationship with our northern brothers. Our brother Peter Obi does not have this alliance and knows very well that an irate social media mob does not, and cannot, make him President.”
Ekwealor said, “Obi’s presidential run is sabotage to Ndigbo. What he has only succeeded in doing is increasing APC’s chances of winning the election by depleting the votes of the southeast for PDP. The implication is that the Southeasterners will have to stay out of power for a minimum of another 16 years. This is because after Tinubu (if he wins), power would return to the north for another eight years leaving Ndigbo out for another 16 solid years.
“If Mr. Peter Obi truly loves Ndigbo, he should step down forthwith and strategise with other well-meaning Igbo elites in charting a way forward for the Igbo nation. We repeat, the presidency is not won on the premise of wishful thinking and hullabaloo of an untamed mob, who probably do not even understand the need for a pathway for the Igbo nation.”