Olusegun Obasanjo, erstwhile Nigerian president, says no amount of threat can dissuade him from his choice of candidate for the 2023 presidential election.  

“I have shed my blood for this country. I have gone to prison for this country. So, what are you going to frighten or threaten me with? if I put my hand on someone, it means that comparing with the other, I see that there is merit that will be of benefit to Nigeria,” Mr Obasanjo said.

Speaking in Enugu on Monday after signing the condolence register for First Republic Minister of Aviation, Mbazulike Amaechi, Mr Obasanjo said that Nigerians were in need a president with character. 

He observed that the problem bedevilling the country was more national than ethnic, stressing that Nigeria needed a character-redefined leader who could be trusted with leadership roles. 

“The problem we have in our hands in Nigeria is not ethnic. It is national. And for me, the most important thing in a leader with character. 

“The problem we have had is that we have not had a leader with the right type of character that they should be trusted with the leadership role,” the former Nigerian president added. 

Speculations have been rife that the former president, who served between 1999-2007, might be supporting Peter Obi of the Labour Party for the 2023 election. 

In October, Mr Obasanjo deliberately gave his seat to Mr Obi at a gathering in Abuja, deepening the rumour of his support for the LP presidential candidate. 

Also, Akin Osuntokun, a former political adviser to Mr Obasanjo had recently disclosed that his ex-principal may be supporting the former Anambra governor for the presidential seat. 

Mr Obasanjo is also believed to be rallying other former heads of state, influential retired generals and powerful northerners including traditional rulers for Mr Obi. 

Mr Obi has continued to gain wide support from Nigerians, particularly from the youths who have been making financial donations to support his politicial campaigns ahead of the election. 

Mr Obasanjo had while signing the condolence register described the late Amaechi, who died on November 1, at the age of 93, as a Nigerian patriot and the last of the Titans.