APC, LP disagree over attack on Obi

The All Progressives Congress Campaign Council has accused the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, of taking advantage of the emotions of the Nigerian youth and riding on the wave of religiosity and ethnicity.

It said Obi would go down in history as the country’s “most dangerous and divisive politician”.

The Special Adviser on Media and Communication of the PCC, Dele Alake, stated this at a press conference in Abuja.

The president-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, was announced the winner of the keenly contested February 25 presidential election on Wednesday.

Tinubu had polled 8,794,726 votes to defeat the LP flag bearer and his closest rival, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, by 6,984,520 and 6,101,533 votes respectively.

But both Atiku and Obi had kicked against the results and vowed to challenge it, with each claiming that the election was fraught with violence and massive rigging.

But Alake stated that he couldn’t imagine how a divisive politician like Obi could take advantage of Nigerian youths who were earnestly in search of a hero.

He said, “For Obi, he would go down as Nigeria’s most dangerous and divisive politician. He elevated his well-known clannish mentality to a most unfortunate height by openly anchoring his campaign on religion and ethnicity. He presented himself as a poster boy for and a champion of our country’s fault lines.

“He took advantage of our youths whose expectations are fast-paced, who are uninterested in excuses, and who were in search of a hero. He pumped up their sentiments and rode on their emotions while grandstanding as a saviour. It was a false pretence. Obi’s credentials are eternally stained as a former governor with no remarkable legacy.

“As we look forward to an encounter with both the PDP and LP at the court, we want to enjoin the two of them to pursue their grievances with decorum. They should encourage their members, supporters, and ethnic and religious consultants to follow the path of the rule of law.

But reacting, the spokesman of Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign Council, Yunusa Tanko, said the continual attack on Obi by the ruling party was a desperate attempt to shield their fear.

He said, “When the APC said our principal is dangerous, he meant somebody they are already scared of. They have never got like him who gave them a serious run for their money. They have employed very criminal-minded individuals who helped them in allocating results to states.

“That has been exposed and so they are scared of the fact that we are going to prove that position in court.

(Punch)