Mohammed Hayatu-Deen.
A former presidential aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, says it will take a miracle for Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to win the 2023 presidential election.
According to him, there are only two parties in Nigeria – the PDP and the All Progressives Congress – and Obi should have joined an established party to pursue his presidential ambition.
“The conventional wisdom is that if someone like Peter Obi had a 10 to 15 years project to create a magnificent machine that is robust, that has structures over a period of seven to 10 years, then he can become a force to be reckoned with.
“That is the view that I personally hold and I could be completely wrong. He might prove me wrong. I do not know but in a developing country such as ours…I will wait to see such a miracle happen in this election season,” Hayatu-Deen said on Channels Television’s Political Paradigm aired on Tuesday.
Obi, a former Anambra State governor, was running mate to PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, back in 2019. Obi, however, dumped PDP for Labour Party in May. Whilst Atiku announced Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, as his running mate, Obi picked Yusuf Baba-Ahmed.
Speaking on the programme, Hayatu-Deen said Obi’s candidacy will not in any way hurt Atiku’s presidential ambition.
“President (Muhammadu) Buhari is not on the ballot; he was a cult figure and therefore a lot of people who voted in the North voted for him,” he said, noting that Atiku will garner President Buhari’s votes in the North.
Hayatu-Deen further said it will be difficult for Obi to win the hearts of northern voters in next year’s general elections.
“I do not how much work Peter Obi has done and will do to appeal to northern sentiments. I really do not know because it is still a long campaign season but what I can tell you is that the PDP is not going to leave any part of northern Nigeria untouched.
“PDP is very strong in the South-South. A bit of the South-West votes, I can guarantee you that. In the South-East, it will run very strong because the information available to me, indicates that there is no particular person that is strong,” he said.
