JAGISTS

Dr. Sampson Orji, a senior member of the governing Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abia State, said that he would support Peter Obi over Atiku Abubakar as the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election.

Orji, one of the leading candidates in the Abia State PDP gubernatorial primary, said that Obi’s credentials and competence set him apart from the other presidential hopefuls, which is why he decided to back the former governor of Anambra State.

The former legislator stated he would mobilize support for Obi because of his ancestry rather than because the Labour Party candidate is an Igbo like him during a live radio show called “Open Parliament” that was heard in Umuahia.

Declaring that Obi stands for light, he said that asking him to pick between Atiku and Obi is like to telling him to choose between darkness and light.

“Until tomorrow, I’m a PDP supporter, but I’ll back Peter Obi because of what he stands for, not because he’s Igbo. A movement is obi. I’ll cast my vote for Obi with my family and friends. Although Atiku is a buddy, Peter Obi would make a better president.

In addition, he said that since the South East is the only region in Southern Nigeria to get a chance at the presidency, equity also favors Obi’s candidacy.

“Why is Atiku unable to endorse Obi, his running partner for 2019? I have to be honest: what have we gained as the PDP by having an impassable Aba to Port Harcourt Expressway for 16 years? On a decent road, you cannot go from Owerri to Umuahia or from Umuahia to Ikot Ekpene.