‘Though Not A Saint, But He’s A Bundle Of Integrity’, Says Obasanjo In Endorsement Of Peter Obi

June 16, 2022 Greg Abolo

The Oasis Reporters

June 16, 2022

By Greg Abolo

In a rare move by former Nigerian President Olusegun Aremu Obasanjo, he has tacitly endorsed former governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi who is Labour Party presidential candidate in the election scheduled for the first quarter of 2023.

Obasanjo says that the LP candidate “is not a saint but among politicians in Nigeria today, Peter Obi is a bundle of integrity”.

He is not a saint but among politicians in Nigeria today, Peter Obi is a bundle of integrity. pic.twitter.com/M3THSJWqS2
— Olusegun Aremu Obasanjo (@Oolusegun_obj) June 15, 2022

Peter Obi will be squaring off against Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the ruling APC Party candidate and Obasanjo’s former deputy, Atiku Abubakar of whom his opinion about him may seem to be regarded as low.

When it was mooted that Atiku was going to run for the presidency eight years ago, Obasanjo had mocked, “I still dey laugh oo”, Nigeria’s colloquial expression in street pidgin English encapsulating his low opinion of his former deputy.

Talk by some analysts indicate that what is propelling Atiku Abubakar to surreptitiously move against the decision of the governors of the South for a power shift to the region after eight years of president Muhammadu Buhari who is a Fulani northerner, may have been informed by his anger against his former principal’s statement.

“He wants to prove Obasanjo wrong, hence he helped upturn the decision of the Southern governors to jettison the zoning arrangement of power shift to the South”, a political analyst from Lagos told our correspondent in a conversation.

Former President Obasanjo further added that “If you leave things to those who are messing it up for you and who are saying you are the leaders of tomorrow, you will never have that tomorrow. Today is your day”, seemingly talking to Peter Obi.

Meanwhile, Atiku Abubakar has chosen Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, governor of Delta State, the very first convener of the Southern Governors Forum meeting in his capital city of Asaba, where they pledged to work together for a power shift to the South, a move that not only received the tacit endorsement and firm understanding by northern Nigerian governors as a form of equity to preserve the unity and cohesion of the entire country as one nation.

I am delighted to announce Governor @IAOkowa as my Vice Presidential candidate. I look forward to travelling our great country together, engaging with all Nigerians and building a shared future of peace, unity, and prosperity for all. As One We Can Get It Done. #OneNigeria. -AA pic.twitter.com/JyKxTIhiUh
— Atiku Abubakar (@atiku) June 16, 2022

Northern Governors Forum met and endorsed the power shift arrangement to the South, hence former Lagos State governor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu is flying the flag of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) party in next year’s presidential election.

Questions many southerners are asking is, at what point did the first host of the Southern Governors Forum meeting in Asaba change his mind, then line up behind the retention of Power in the north after that region’s eight years in the saddle?

*Southern Governors meeting in Asaba, across Party lines to resolve on power shift to the South.*

Another South South governor, Edo State’s Godwin Obaseki who remains amongst the first to congratulate Okowa, hosted Southern Governors Wives forum meeting in Benin-City, capital city of Edo State.