By Fred Chukwuelobe
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has endorsed the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in this year’s election, Mr Peter Obi. He says the challenges of the office require a healthy person.
Fair enough.
Opponents of the ObiDient Movement are aghast. The APC presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has described the endorsement as “worthless”. He says OBJ has “always been against Progressives”.
Politics.
If OBJ had endorsed Tinubu, he and his supporters would have heaped accolades on the former president.
They would have described him as the ‘greatest leader’ Nigeria ever produced.
They would have hailed him and described him in superfluous words.
They all had visited him, seeking his blessings, or to ‘consult him’.
Now that he endorsed Obi, he will receive tons of abuse. He has already received them from the BATists.
The Atiku Abubakar camp has also thrown its own stones. It says “Obi is not the wish of most Nigerians” OBJ has never hidden his disdain for his erstwhile deputy.
That’s how it goes.
However, the endorsement, to me, has little meaning. OBJ is not known to pull votes for anybody. He has lost power and steam since his days in ASO ROCK.
The endorsement won’t win Obi decisive votes or reasonable supporters. It won’t deny Tinubu and Atiku any reasonable supporters.
It is simply symbolic.
Period.