Hayatu-Deen Sceptical of Obi’s Victory in 2023 Poll
Peter Obi, the presidential candidate for the Labour Party, will need a miracle to win the 2023 presidential election, according to Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, a former candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party.
He contends that there are only two political parties in Nigeria, the PDP and the APC and that in order to advance his presidential ambitions, Obi should have joined one of these parties.
“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, with 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 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.
In 2019, Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, served as Atiku Abubakar’s running mate for the PDP presidential nomination. But in May, Obi switched from the PDP to the Labour Party. While Atiku chose Ifeanyi Okowa, the governor of Delta State, as his running mate, Obi selected Yusuf Baba-Ahmed.
According to Hayatu-Deen, Atiku’s presidential aspirations won’t be harmed by Obi’s candidacy in any manner.
“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 stressed that it would 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.