Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has written an open letter to Nigerians particularly the young people calling on them to vote the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party(LP), Peter Obi as the country’s next president in February.
Obasanjo in a New Year message titled: “My Appeal to Nigerians Particularly Young Nigerians” placed Obi ahead of his former Vice President and Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), Atiku Abubakar and the Presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The former President said while none of the three frontline candidates is a saint, Obi is a better candidate compared to the other two in terms of their antecedents, character, and vitality.
He added that out of the three candidates, Obi having gone through his mentorship has the experience and capacity to deliver and should be trusted by Nigerians especially young citizens to move Nigeria forward.
According to OBJ, Obi unlike Atiku and Tinubu has people from both the North and South of the country who can caution him and he would listen.
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He said both “Emilokan” and ‘I have paid my dues”, covertly referring to Tinubu and Atiku are one and the same thing and wrong mentality for the kind of leadership Nigeria needs at this time.
Obasanjo took a swipe at the leadership style of President Muhammadu Buhari when he said Nigerians had in the last 7 and a half years gone from “frying pan to fire” and from mountain top to the valley”.
He said Nigerians who are alive today should consider themselves very lucky but must be prepared to brace up for the remaining months of an administration that have seen citizens endure untold hardship.
As the general elections draws near, Obasanjo said Nigerians should see the exercise as an opportunity to correct the mistakes of the past; stressing that the task of charting a new path and future for Nigeria now rest squarely on the shoulders of young people and they cannot afford to let themselves and the country down.