Peter Obi on Sunday said a political structure would not determine his fate on the ballot next year, stating that his hope lies in the Nigerian masses to reject the status quo.

“Whenever I hear of NO STRUCTURE, my answer to it is simple; the 100 million Nigerians that live in poverty will be the structure,” Mr Obi said on Twitter. “The 35 million Nigerians who don’t know where their next meal will come from will be the structure.”

The former Anambra governor’s ambition has been dismissed as unserious because he has no practical political base to win a presidential election in a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country like Nigeria.

He had not held any political offices since 2014 when he concluded his eight years as governor of Anambra in Nigeria’s South-East. Critics argued that the candidates he backed for governorship and other elective offices in Anambra were rejected.

Mr Obi’s critics also said he has not been able to receive the backing of any notable politicians since he picked up the presidential nomination of the Labour Party.

Pat Utomi and Doyin Okupe, two prominent backers of Mr Obi, have been described as lacking any political weight at both local and national levels.

He, however, dismissed all the criticisms as inconsequential in the face of harsh economic realities.

“The elderly, our mothers, fathers, and the old ones dying or being owed gratuity/pension will be the structure. ASUU; the lecturers that are being owed, and the students who are not in school will be the structure,” Mr Obi said. “We’ll create the structure, and they’ll see what the structure is all about. The structure is about human beings.”