Tuesday, October 6, 2026

Peter Obi won’t affect Atiku’s chances; PDP has money: Chieftain

Mr Olafeso stated that the LP candidate does not have the resources, unlike the PDP, to pull weight in the presidential poll.

• February 22, 2023
Atiku Abubakar, Eddy Olafeso, and Peter Obi
Atiku Abubakar, Eddy Olafeso, and Peter Obi

Eddy Olafeso, a former vice chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the South-West, has said Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate, does not affect the chances of Atiku Abubakar in Saturday’s election.  

Mr Olafeso also took a swipe at Mr Obi, who is regarded as a surprise contender in the election, stating that the LP candidate does not have the resources, unlike the PDP, to pull weight in the presidential poll. 

“I found it very interesting that he (Obi) has been able to come this far and what we are actually clamouring is that may the best candidate wins come Saturday.

“Politics requires a lot of structure, people, money, and others. Our party contributes money from the units to the states, now who does that for Labour Party? And by Saturday we will know who owns the land. It is not about social media opinion polls,” Mr Olafeso noted, saying “So, his ambition will not affect the vote of Atiku at all,” he said on Wednesday.

A two-term former governor of Anambra, Mr Obi is believed to be enjoying massive support from the youths, who mostly use social media to drive the campaigns of the LP candidate. 

Mr Obi, who has based most of his campaigns on tackling the dwindling economy of the country, would be joining Messrs Abubakar and Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), among others in the weekend election. 

Speaking in Akure, Ondo’s capital city, Mr Olafeso vowed the end of APC at Saturday’s presidential election, noting that Nigerians are suffering under the present government. 

He explained that many Nigerians have become poorer since the APC government led by President Muhammadu Buhari came to power about eight years ago.

“We must dislodge APC in this country. The party is unknown to modern politics. APC has done enough for us to bury them and I know for sure they will be buried on Saturday. Our country must be united, we are going to do very well in the South-West,” Mr Olafeso said. 

His assertion came as Mr Tinubu, the candidate of the APC rounded up his political campaigns, ahead of the weekend election, in Lagos on Tuesday amid large crowds. 

According to him, Mr Abubakar who is the presidential candidate of the PDP would defeat Mr Tinubu in the big contest on February 25. 

“So having gone through all the faces, it is for us to consulate, consolidate and work for our candidate, we will work so hard to defeat APC come February 25th presidential election in this country,” the PDP Chieftain added. 

While lamenting the bad state of the economy, Mr Olafeso posited that the APC had brought untold hardship on the people, stressing that the party had no solution to the woes it bestowed on the masses. 

He begged the people of the country not to miss the opportunity of booting out the APC in Saturday’s poll with their voting power. 

Messrs Atiku, Tinubu, and Obi would be contesting Saturday’s election with a host of other candidates for the top political job in Africa’s most popular nation.

For the past five months, the three presidential candidates have been canvassing support from different parts of the country in their ambition to take over power from Mr Buhari who would be finishing his second-term tenure by May 29. 

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