Former Senator Dino Melaye has asked the Labour Party (LP) candidate, Peter Obi, to jettison his 2023 presidential ambition for former vice president Atiku Abubakar.

In a video shared on his Facebook page on Friday, Mr Melaye who represented Kogi West Senatorial District at the National Assembly, asked Mr Obi to “wait for his time”.

“I celebrate you (Obi) and I celebrate your movement for a new Nigeria. While I celebrate you, I want to advise you that your time is not now. You have to wait for your time.

“By the grace of God he has the potential of being the president in the nearest future,” Mr Melaye, a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said. “But for today, let us forget the social media drama and Diaspora euphoria.”

Mr Melaye said the campaign of the erstwhile Anambra governor had been dwelling on reducing the cost of governance but noted that Nigeria’s woes are beyond rhetoric. 

“I have listened to your postulations, arguments, deliveries, and campaigns and I can say 90 percent of your campaigns are dwelling on reducing the cost of governance.

“The truth of the matter is that we need a unifier and a Nigerian that can solve the problem of insecurity and that will have intel from every security facet of our national life. We need a Nigerian that will get intel from Cameroon, Mali, Chad, Benin Republic, and others.”

The video from Mr Melaye, a strong supporter of Mr Atiku, has generated counter-reactions from supporters of Mr Obi, who see the footage as an attack on their man. 

A cross section of young Nigerians are unhappy with the All Progressives Congress and PDP’s choice of Bola Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar as their respective presidential candidates, and are rallying a nationwide movement for Mr Obi as a better alternative.