By Madu Onuorah
Less than ten days to the National Convention that will produce Presidential flag bearer for the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for 2023 general elections, the leading aspirant and former Governor of Anambra State, Mr Peter Obi faces strong gang up from some interests in the party hierarchy.
Global Upfront Newspapers (GUN) gathered from reliable sources that the rising popularity of Obi in the race is causing disquiet in some party circles particularly among some Governors of the party who are working round the clock to ensure that the public opinion current weighty in favour of Obi is not translated into votes.
While these anti-Obi group acknowledges the fact that he is the most acceptable aspirants in the country today, they believe that through the delegates they control, they will show him politics.
PDP Governors had planned that the Presidential tickets (President and Vice) for 2023 for the party will come from the forum of Governors since they are going to be the main financiers of the election but are shocked at the apparently unstoppable rise of Obi’s popularity.
In the last two months, Obi has been leading the poll in the Social Media and in other public opinion ratings and this has attracted enormous envy from his competitors.
After several failed attempts to drown Obi’s fame, a devious move has begun within PDP to discredit Obi by sending secret messages to delegates saying that he is not gunning for the President but for the Vice Presidency so they should not waste their votes on him.
The four incumbent Governors of the party in the race, Nysom Wike of Rivers, Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom, Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto and Bala Mohammad of Bauchi, who had wanted to pick the ticket among themselves, are not receiving the anticipated goodwill from the public to win the ticket.
And added to that, the PDP Governors Forum platform is divided and fragmented ahead of the 2023 elections over their individual ambitions.
GUN gathered that the Chairman of PDP Governors Forum, Aminu Tambuwal, is not on speaking terms with his Rivers State counterpart, Nysom Wike, and the duo are aspirants.
But despite the division, one of the aspirants from the South South is mobilizing his colleagues from the South to ensure that the visible front runner Obi is stopped at all cost.
GUN source said that delegates from the South including South East are being mobilized against Obi despite the obvious fact that he is the most acceptable aspirant nationally.
Surprisingly, those visibly working against Obi are mostly from the South because they perceive his rising fame as an indictment on them and needed to do everything to stop him.
But one of Obi’s ardent supporters from the North Jibrin Musa, warns PDP that it will be dangerous for them to go into 2023 election without Obi in the ballot.
The acceptability of Obi across tribe, religion and geography says a lot about what Nigerians desire, a problem solver, a servant and not rulers.
Mallam Musa said that Obi is more acceptable because he goes round country discussing issues as it affects Nigeria and Nigerians unlike others who go about courting trouble and abusing people.
According to Mallam Musa, it’s in the interest of the PDP to cash in on the Obi’s acceptability today and make him their flag bearer if they really desire to return to power in 2023.