A former Labour Party presidential aspirant, Faduri Oluwadare Joseph, has alleged that Peter Obi hijacked the party and collected the presidential ticket, denying him the race.
However, Dr. Yunusa Tanko, Peter Obi Media Release Spokesman, responded: “It is amazing that after the 2023 general elections, one year plus, a candidate (Fadojoe) who participated in the primary, not under duress, nobody forced him to withdraw, because even if he contested against Peter Obi in the primaries, of which I was a member of that electoral team, he couldn’t have scored one vote on that floor.”
Fadojoe’s Media Adviser, Rev. Emmanuel Olorunmagba, released a statement saying: “But only for Mr. Peter Obi to come a few days to the presidential primary to hijack the system, collect his presidential ticket, and sideline him with his vibrant team in the presidential election campaign.”
Fadojoe alleged: “His Excellency Mr. Peter Obi was really not ready to win that election. He only grabbed my ticket and wasted it when he had every opportunity.”
He added: “I spent millions of my hard-earned money towards rebuilding the Labour Party and in my campaign towards getting the Labour Party presidential ticket to rescue Nigeria from its woes… I foresaw things like the ones we are seeing and living through in our country today, and when His Excellency, Peter Obi, hijacked the ticket, one would have expected him to have refunded part of what I spent or even told the party to refund at least what I paid for the Labour Party presidential nomination form or expression of intent form.”
Dr. Yunusa Tanko responded: “So, if you do not have any particular electoral value in a primary, and here you come one year after, you’re now crying foul play, that shows the level of incompetence and lack of democratic ethos in the person you are.”
He added: “In the first place, you did not contest the election because Peter Obi was contesting the election. You contested the election for yourself, and you feel you are popular. So, if you’re popular, you run for election on your own.”
Tanko further stated: “When you were contesting, you paid your money; Peter Obi was just a contestant just like you, and he paid just like you paid. So, why would you be expecting him to come and monetise you for paying to the party in which you belong?”
He concluded: “It’s quite insulting to the sensibilities of Nigerians. You contested, I contested, you were defeated, and you said I should pay you. It doesn’t sound sensible at all. I’m so sorry, I’m disappointed in the intellectual capacity of this particular individual.”
