Former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar is the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party for the 2023 election.
The former governor of Ekiti State, Mr Ayodele Fayose, says the chances of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) winning in the 2023 presidential election in the South-East and South-West regions are not realistic.
Former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar is the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party for the 2023 election.
During a Channels TV programme, 'Politics Today' on Thursday, Fayose, a chieftain of PDP in the South-West region, said the influence of the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi could affect the chances of PDP in the 2023 presidential election.
Although the former governor was sceptical that Obi would secure the required 25 percent of votes in two-thirds of the states to be declared the winner of the election, Fayose advised the PDP to negotiate with him.
He also advised the party to resolve its internal crisis by reconciling with the camp of Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers, in order to win the presidential election.
He said, “Obi is a danger to watch out for. I don’t believe Obi will make 25 percent of the votes in two-thirds of the states of the federation.
“I’m not against Obi. I love him and he is a very vibrant leader. I don’t believe he will get the required 25 percent of votes because of my permutation as Ayodele Fayose, but with God, nothing shall be impossible.
“Let me say Obi is more of chronic cancer to PDP and there is no denying (it). Let me give you an analysis. In South-West, people might not like to hear that, I don’t see how PDP will win. Anybody deceiving us can continue to deceive us.
“I don’t see how PDP will win in the South-East. South-South will be a combination of all interests. Let me come to the key states of the North."
Fayose continued, “Without deceiving ourselves, there is so much work to do in the north-central. PDP and APC did not pick any candidate, either presidential or vice-presidential, from the north-central. The north-east is where the vice-presidential candidate of APC comes from.
“We will give Adamawa state to our party. Don’t forget there is still another (Rabiu) Kwankwaso who is a semi-cancer that can equally upstage figures in the north.
“Reconciling or negotiating with Obi will be a good thing and finding a way to make peace with Wike people will be a good thing too.”
Obi was a member of the PDP before he dumped it in May for Labour Party and clinched its presidential ticket.
In 2019, the former Anambra governor was PDP’s vice-presidential candidate while Atiku Abubakar, former vice-president, was the presidential candidate.
The participation of Obi in the 2023 presidential election under LP has elicited speculations that the votes of the PDP may be divided in the 2023 election.
On Thursday, Governor Wike told Obi that he will provide him with logistics for his campaign in the Rivers State, fuelling suspicions that the aggrieved G-5 Governors of PDP that had been having a running battle with the National Chairman of the party, Senator Iyorchia Ayu might have adopted Obi as their presidential candidate.
The G-5 Governors led by Wike had demanded that the National Chairman of the party should step down for a southerner to take over, for fairness, equity and justice.