Kenneth Okonkwo, a former spokesman for the Labour Party (LP) has posited that the actions of Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, indicate that his Party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is no longer significant in Nigerian politics.
He stated this in relation to Wike’s position in the administration of the ruling party, All Progressives Congress (APC).
The LP chieftain made this statement in an interview with Arise Television following a comment by the LP presidential candidate in the 2023 polls, Peter Obi.
Obi had recently said that his Party would continue to cement its “new role as the country’s main opposition party.”
To safeguard Nigerian interests, Obi said, the Labour Party will stay solidly in opposition and keep the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) on its toes.
Emphasising Obi’s comments, Okonkwo said that given that the LP was the only opposition with a strong agenda ahead of the 2023 general elections and its winning of 25% in all the six geopolitical zones, it had cemented its opposition as the main opposition party.
Following Obi’s remarks, Okonkwo emphasized that the LP had solidified its place as the primary opposition party since it was the only opposition with a coherent platform ahead the elections in 2023 and had achieved a 25% victory in each of the six geographical zones.
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He said: “To take you back to the time of the campaigns, you may remember that Peter Obi was the only person who crafted the seven-point agenda that all the other parties were copying from, albeit doing a terrible job at it.
“You may remember he was the one who came out as a candidate and defended his agenda which included security and uniting the country.
“If you checked all these people (the presidential candidates), you would realize that they were simply copying from him without learning the routes he wanted to achieve those things.
“Apart from knowing exactly what he wanted, he had the commensurate competence, capacity, and character to thrive, which are lacking in the other candidates.
“So that’s why he’s now saying we are the main opposition party. So he has earned the accolade of being the main opposition leader. And I will tell you that he will do it effectively well pending when Nigeria would realize the dream of a new nation through him.
“And in all honesty, PDP is not in existence in the political realm of Nigeria. Because let’s take an example of what is happening in the PDP.
“A presidential aspirant of the PDP (Wike) who was the first runner-up during the presidential primary election of the party, and who vowed that he would never leave the party no matter what is now a minister in the APC, telling you that PDP has been absorbed by the APC.”
