The Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party(LP) in the 2023 general election, Mr Peter Obi, is in a dilemma of whether to become a junior partner in an emerging coalition or to become a senior partner in an emerging coalition and how to sort out the problem in the Labour Party.
This is even as other options are being thrown at him by those, who believe that the 6 million plus votes he garnered in the election, which made him come third, can still count elsewhere, if he joins forces with them.
Those, who should know and who confided in the Sunday Telegraph also said that the crises in the Labour Party, as well as the immense pressure being mounted on the only LP governor to defect to the APC, are not helping matters.
Further, a Source said that the former Anambra State governor is set to go solo in the face of the coalition of parties making the rounds.
“This is underscored by the fact that he is presenting himself as an independent candidate, who will galvanise support from the people, irrespective of the party on which he runs,” the Source said.
“He is considering a lot of options. But he knows that his party, too, is damaged. He and other people are talking behind the scenes to find out what they can do. He is also still talking with Atiku Abubakar. He is also looking at what can be done to present a formidable opposition to the ruling APC.”
However, who gets what in the arrangement is becoming very tricky to decide. As for the permutation that he should run or be a running mate, where Atiku would do four years, and Obi would continue with the rest, is also on the card. Nothing is cast in stone as they are still talking.
Others putting pressure on him are members of his camp, who are telling him not to play second fiddle to anyone.
They are of the view that he should try to resuscitate the Obidient Movement, which would allow the Labour Party find a coalition, where he would be the arrowhead. Aligning and becoming the running mate of Atiku would not do him well, they reasoned.
“Peter Obi is also being spoken to. The dilemma is whether Peter Obi should run as president or run as a vice president. People from his Obidient Movement believe that he should run. But some people are saying that from the emerging talks that he should run as the VP to somebody younger from the North and not Atiku and so apart from the known faces, from the North, Tambuwal is being touted, the governor of Bauchi State is being touted and they also has a Whizkid politician from the North, whom they would not unveil him until they are sure of what is going on,” the Source said.
Further, another Source confirmed that there is almost a consensus that the former Vice president should be a patron of the Coalition like the newspaper reported some weeks back.
“There is almost a consensus among the coalition partners like you have reported that Atiku should be the patron, not the face of the coalition. Whether he would accept or not is what is yet to be settled.
“He knows that this is his last time and if he does not run, he should forget it. That is why he is faced with a desperate situation. How he will relate with other coalition partners is what is yet to be known. Some others are saying that but for his insistence on running in 2023, a younger and sellable person would have turned the tide in favour of the PDP but he virtually skipped the nomination and bulldozed his way into obtaining the ticket.”
In the meantime, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), is making a fortune out of the crises rocking the opposition parties.
This is evident in a Senator of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), who defected to the APC.
Also, three more members of the Red Chamber on the platform of the PDP, representing Kebbi, have concluded arrangements to defect to the APC.
Said another source: “What happened in Anambra few days ago was not just a state visit but one of the major interventions suggested by one of the leaders of the president’s team in the person of the governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodimma, who was quoted as saying ‘we should also have a foothold in Anambra.’ You could see the body language of Soludo. Soludo is also aware of the federal might. He is not naïve that he needs to be a little bit temperate to be able to do well in the coming election in 2025.
“You should know that Peter Obi is also from Anambra. Doing that political visit is very, very strategic in the calculation of the APC political machinery.
“They believe that they need to take the battle to the home state of some of the people in charge of the coalition. They have taken it to Kaduna. They have virtually seized Kaduna from El Rufai. They are now taking it to Anambra and they believe that Anambra is doable and you could see the body language of the governor. After that, they are also looking at Adamawa.
“There are a number of things they want to do. Any state, where they see a member of the coalition is strong, they go there and then do what they need to do politically. They are not taking any chances.”
However, on the other side, the Atiku Machinery and the Peter Obi Machinery are talking. Some people are telling Peter Obi that he needs to solve the problem in the Labour Party before the end of this year.
The source said: “This is evident in what the party has been able to do. They have been to Anambra, Kaduna; they have gone to the home of El – rufai. They are also looking towards Adamawa now. You will see some movements in the next one month towards Adamawa. They want to take the battle too to Atiku Abubakar in his home stead.”
Luckily for the Tinubu Coalition, the attempt by the opposition coalition to seize the CPC has largely not worked. The CPC has reiterated its commitment to the APC agenda and even more so, by the statement of former President Muhammadu Buhari after the coalition visited him and he said that despite the visit, “I am where I am with Tinubu.”
What game the Obi man and Atiku would play in the next months, Obi would certainly be in a very difficult position and his decision – some have said that his decision would either make or mar the coalition. So, he is weighing his options.
“Some people are telling him that you can run it alone. There are people who are telling him that you cannot do it without a structure, you need to fine tune it to coalition with others who have also some political leverage to oust the APC. There are meetings going on and the governors are largely meeting with the SDP. The Labour Party is not doing well.”
“Nenadi Usman is heading the LP faction that is aligned to Peter Obi, but in the eye of the law, who INEC recognises that is also fueling division in the Labour Party. That is a technical coup against Obi with a lot of challenges.
