Peter Obi: BBC Says Labour Party Candidate Is Inspiring Nigerian Youths
- Peter Obi's popularity seems to be soaring by the day in Nigeria, especially among young people in the country
- The BBC says Obi's mode of campaign, history, and conversations resonates among youths in the country
- Obi's supporters say they can get the former Anambra state governor into Aso Rock with their votes in 2023
FCT, Abuja - The BBC has described Peter Obi as a politician inspiring Nigerian youths ahead of the 2023 general elections.
According to the international media outlet, Obi has emerged as a powerful force, energising voters with messages of prudence and accountability that are amplified by an army of social media users.
Source: Twitter
Part of the report read:
“His name is often trending on social media on the back of numerous conversations sparked by his supporters, instantly recognisable from their display picture of his image or the white, red and green logo of his party.
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“These are mostly urban under-30s who refer to themselves as the "coconut-head generation", because they are strong-willed, independent-minded, and contemptuous of older politicians who, they say, have done little for them.”
The report further noted that many of Obi's supporters were involved in the EndSars protests that forced the disbandment of a notorious police department two years ago and also morphed into calls for better government.
It added:
“Now, they are deploying the same strategies that mobilized hundreds of thousands of young Nigerians and raised millions of naira within weeks for the 60-year-old who they consider an alternative to the two parties that have dominated politics since the end of military rule in 1999.”
Speaking on Obi's supporters, the report noted:
“They regard him as an unconventional politician prepared to take on the APC and PDP behemoths seen as different sides of the same coin, who they accuse of dipping their fingers into the public purse.
“Some also support Mr Obi because of his ethnic background. Igbos make up the country's third-largest ethnic group, but Nigeria has had only one Igbo president, largely ceremonial since it freed itself from British colonial rule in 1960.
“His supporters point out that he invested heavily in education and paid salaries on time - the simple things that most Nigerian state governors tend to neglect.
“He also left huge savings in state coffers at the end of his two four-year tenures, another rarity.”
2023: Peter Obi urged to pick Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed as running mate
Meanwhile, Obi has been advised by several of his supporters to pick Hon. Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed as his running mate.
Baba-Ahmed served as the House of Representatives member for Zaria Federal Constituency from 2003 to 2007.
He also served as the senator representing Kaduna North senatorial district from 2011 to 2012.
Peter Obi not a hater of northerners, says Aide
In a related development, the media aide to Obi, Valentine Obienyem, has denied reports that his principal is a religious bigot and a hater of people of northern Nigerian extraction.
Obienyem, in a statement on Thursday, June 30, said some faceless groups, sponsored by political opponents, are responsible for spreading falsehood about Obi due to his growing popularity.
The statement comes in reaction to earlier reports which claimed Obi didn’t respond appropriately to the killing of some northerners in Anambra back in March 2006.
Source: Legit.ng
