Peter Obi’s Former Aide Throws Spanner In The Works, Emerges Labour Party Factional Presidential Candidate
The Oasis Reporters
June 9, 2022
At the conclusion of the All Progressive Congress (APC) Convention which produced Bola Ahmed Tinubu as it’s presidential candidate, political analysts had gone to the drawing board with permutations on likely outcomes of the presidential election coming up in the first quarter of 2023 between Peter Obi, Atiku Abubakar and Bola Tinubu, when suddenly a pause occurred to include the Labour Party factional presidential candidate and the likely effects to Peter Obi’s position.
The faction of the Labour Party led by its former Deputy National Chairman, Callistus Okafor, on Wednesday chose Chief Digar Ezenwafor as its presidential candidate for the 2023 general elections.
This Wednesday’s development thus came after the earlier tweet from Labour Party on the 3rd of June, 2022, possibly as a reaction.
Disregard any news flying round about faction in our great party. It can only be coming from the propaganda machineries of those who has held our nation down. Our @NgLabour is very determined to take back the ountry for the common citizens. @PeterObi
— LabourPartyNG (@NgLabour) June 3, 2022
Ezenwafor is the immediate past Senior Special Assistant to Ex-Governor Willy Obiano of Anambra State on Politics and Strategy. He emerged as the LP faction’s candidate at a national convention held in the Garki area of Abuja.
He is also said to have worked with Peter Obi as his Chief of Protocol during his first term as governor of Anambra State.
Okafor presided over the convention in his capacity as the party’s acting national chairman.
The Convention may have been convened as a pressure point on the faction that produced Peter Obi.
Ezenwafor told the party’s delegates that he was on a rescue mission to Nigeria.
He said, “I am on a rescue mission to free Nigerians from social, economic and political crises currently bedevilling it.”
He said having understudied two former governors in Anambra State, he has what it takes to lead the country to economic freedom.
Okafor said his position and actions were based on the need to ensure justice, fairness and equity stressing that he had nothing against Obi, who had been presented by the other faction as its presidential candidate.
Political analysts say that this may be an externally induced spanner to take Peter Obi and his soaring popularity out of the equation to give Atiku Abubakar who was the PDP candidate in 2019 with Peter Obi as his running mate an edge in the run-up to the 2023 election.
Obi’s resignation from the PDP last month was believed to have been a major upset to Atiku’s permutations to ride on a white horse into the South East heartland for a major victory in favour of the opposition political party.
For Peter Obi to get back into reckoning, he would need to go on bended knees of appeasement to his former Chief of protocol.
Former presidential spokesman to ex-president Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, Dr. Reuben Abati had bemoaned the fact that Peter Obi ought to have done due diligence before joining the Labour Party.
Though other analysts contend that there can never be enough due diligence “as some parties are set up purposely for that very factor to cause disruptions that would engender intense horse trading”, Paul Elohor told The Oasis Reporters on the line from Warri, Delta State.
The next other factor might be a court case and pronouncement that may be a prolonged challenge as the defendants would see nothing to lose, even up to the Supreme Court.
“It happened in Rivers State, where a substitution made Sir Celestine Omehia the PDP gubernatorial candidate who went on to win the election. But when a superior court finally ruled that the duly nominated PDP candidate was Rotimi Amaechi and not Sir Celestine Omehia, Amaechi was sworn-in and Omehia was removed”, continued Paul Elohor.
“This issue needs to be skillfully negotiated and quickly thrashed”, said Emeka Ugo to The Oasis Reporters from Awka, Anambra State capital city.
Meanwhile, campaigning is not being let up and Obi’s supporters remain upbeat as more youths are being asked to go and get their personal voter’s card.
— Peter Obi (@PeterObi) June 4, 2022
Enthusiasm is rising among the youth demographics in Nigeria as they recall how Emmanuel Macron came from the shadows and with a newly and hurriedly formed party, upset the traditional parties to emerge president of France.
It also happened recently in Australia where youths used their huge voter numbers to effect political change in the far Asian country.
The scare is therefore huge in both the APC and PDP camps where hundreds of millions of naira had been sunk into securing the endorsement of delegates alone. Peter Obi’s emergence has thus become a nightmare to their investments.
