By Ikechukwu Emeka Onyia
Obi’s candidacy is the only one that is inspiring new voters or young Nigerians to come out to vote.
Obi’s candidacy is appealing to those who never voted before in Nigeria to register to vote.
It is a PDP loss due to their poor strategy.
Obi as a PDP candidate would have kept PDP old members and their votes for the party and attract new votes for PDP, especially from young people that want Nigeria to get better.
From now to the election is about 8months and with what is happening, Obi’s aspiration is closing the old sentiments of tribe, religion etc in Nigeria politics and if he sustains his issue base engagement, he will shock bookmakers in 2023.
I warned PDP that Obi was their best chance to regain power and they were busy talking about Aspirants instead of Candidacy!
Obi in PDP was a weak aspirant who does not control the party’s State PDP machineries needed to win PDP primaries except consensus arraignment, but he was to be a STRONG candidate once with a ticket, a reality PDP did not put into consideration.
Today, Obi is in the Labour party, driving the third force.
Where will PDP get new votes to fill what they lost with Obi’s exit?
Where will they get votes to fill what Kwankwanso left with?
Does Atiku lead PDP Presidential ticket appealing to new votes from Nigerians especially young people most of them have never voted before? No!
While PDP is losing its old grounds, they don’t also have an incumbency advantage or new votes anywhere.
They also don’t have the masses!
In 2019, PDP’s Atiku lost to APC’s Buhari with 3,928,869 vote (3million plus votes). Instead of thinking on how to fill the 3.9 million votes APC used to beat them in 2019, PDP is rather losing more votes ahead of 2023 with Obi and Kwakwanso’s exit from the party.
It is not going to be Atiku Vs Buhari in 2023 and PDP will have no extra votes.
Obi is provoking Young Nigerians who had lost interest in Nigeria to start having a rethink with his HOPE inspiring issue-based engagement. This group of young Nigerians are likely to close the religious and ethnic sentiments that have divided the country with their support for #Obi2023.
Forget it, PDP has no chance in the 2023 Presidential election.
-Ikechukwu Emeka Onyia