The PDP chieftain noted that he did not know how much work Obi had done or would do to appeal to the northern population.
A former presidential aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, has said it is except a miracle happens that the Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, would win the 2023 presidential election.
Speaking on Channels TV interview aired on Tuesday, the PDP chieftain noted that he did not know how much work Obi had done or would do to appeal to the northern population.
He said, “The conventional wisdom is that if someone like Peter Obi had a 10 to 15 years project to create a magnificent machine that is robust, that has structures over a period of seven to 10 years, then he can become a force to be reckoned with.
“That is the view that I personally hold and I could be completely wrong. He might prove me wrong. I do not know but in a developing country such as ours…I will wait to see such a miracle happen in this election season.”
Obi, a former Anambra State governor, was running mate to PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, back in 2019. Obi, however, dumped PDP for Labour Party in May. Whilst Atiku announced Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, as his running mate, Obi picked Yusuf Baba-Ahmed.
Speaking further, Hayatu-Deen said, “President (Muhammadu) Buhari is not on the ballot; he was a cult figure and therefore a lot of people who voted in the North voted for him.
“I do not how much work Peter Obi has done and will do to appeal to northern sentiments. I really do not know because it is still a long campaign season but what I can tell you is that the PDP is not going to leave any part of northern Nigeria untouched.
“PDP is very strong in the South-South. A bit of the South-West votes, I can guarantee you that. In the South-East, it will run very strong because the information available to me indicates that there is no particular person that is strong.”