Olusegun Obasanjo’s endorsement of Obi would amount to nought. It’s widely celebrated by teeming supporters of the presidential candidate. But the endorsement won’t bear any fruit as there won’t be any effect on the electorate.
The handwriting was clear on the wall that the ex president would rather look at the other side and pick his preferred candidate. It would have even been better if the ex leader of the country had stayed neutral.
Chief Olusegun Obasanjo had kept quiet amidst the campaign that it should be the turn of a Yoruba politician. One would have expected Obasanjo to forget the old rivalry he had with Bola Tinubu and back the former Lagos State governor.
Both Obasanjo and Tinubu were at loggerheads between 1999 and 2007 when they were president and Lagos State governor respectively. That should be in the past. Or better still, Obasanjo ought to have let go the past rift between Atiku Abubakar and him.
But Obasanjo would rather choose the candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi over the All Progressives Congress candidate, Bola Tinubu and PDP’s Atiku Abubakar. Was the ex president oblivious of little coverage and popularity of the Labour Party?
Obasanjo’s endorsement of Peter Obi will be inconsequential. Obasanjo, who was also a military head of state from 1976 to 1979, can’t even win his own polling unit in Ogun State. How many wards, local government areas and states can he influence?
An endorsement is good if it can swing voters to cast their votes for that particular candidate. Apart from Olusegun Obasanjo himself, there may be no other voter who will be convinced by that particular endorsement.
Shortly after he made his mind clear, Yoruba patriots started calling out the “Ebora Owu” for shunning his own kinsman to back Peter Obi. They called him all sorts of names and further dragged his name in the mire. Towards what end?
The name-calling and the endorsement have no effects. Obasanjo has made himself clear no matter the rationale behind his decision. He wouldn’t support Bola Tinubu at all. He has rights to decide just like other Nigerians.
There could have been some consequences if Olusegun Obasanjo had endorsed either Atiku Abubakar (PDP) or Bola Tinubu (APC). The two belong to “structured” parties and they will definitely get good numbers of votes across the country.
But Olusegun Obasanjo wouldn’t want the two men, maybe because he had had issues with them in the past. Nevertheless, the argument is there is no effect. Obasanjo’s endorsement of Peter Obi won’t move anyone on 25 February when Nigerians go out there to vote for a replacement of President Muhammadu Buhari.
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