Obidients vibrate Lagos for Obi-Datti campaign

Sopuruchi Onwuka

It was massive turn out of supporters for the Peter Obi presidential campaign train in Lagos on Saturday despite attacks unleashed on them by thugs allegedly hired by the ruling party in the state.

Mr Peter Obi who leads the other contestants in the latest Bloomberg poll of popular choice in the upcoming elections was accompanied in the rally by his running mate, Mr Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmad and a crowd of celebrity supporters.

From streets to major roads in Lagos, youths of all persuasions and backgrounds trooped out and followed the presidential hopeful to the popular Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) where all the sitting positions were filled up and massive number of supporters stood for long hours in the sun as speakers after speakers urged them to defy threats and cast their votes for the Labour Party.

Meanwhile, the internet is filled with anger over the threats and attacks on residents who do not align with the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) in the state.

Sound bites from a meeting allegedly held at the palace of one of the traditional rulers in the stated recorded local politicians threatening residents with attacks and possible eviction if they failed to vote the APC in the forthcoming elections, a practice many people condemn as undemocratic and posing a possible challenge to the credibility of the elections.

Obi-Datti Media reports that attempt to frustrate the rally by some hoodlums and hirelings failed although Lagos Police Command confirmed four injured and many vehicles damaged by the gangsters, ostensibly engineered by political opponents.

All through Alaba International Market in the Ojo area through Festac to Apapa, Ikeja through Maryland to Onipanu to Surulere among others, there was endless chants of songs in support of the youngest presidential team in the race.

The rally events which took places at strategic locations in the state and rounded off with a grande finale at the TBS provided forums for Mr Obi to continue preaching non-violence, promising to build a united Nigeria where every citizen would cohabit in peace and harmony.

 “As we go into the final stretch for the 2023 elections, I call on all Nigerians, regardless of political affiliation or tendency, to eschew violence. I condemn any form of violence; and especially the incessant attack on my Obidient supporters.”

Obi also called on the security forces nationwide to protect those exercising their fundamental rights to free speech and assembly, warning that the people’s civil space must not shrink further than it is already.

He pointed at capacity and patriotism as the key drivers of his Labour Party , promising that his government would be accountable to the people right from inception.

He made it clear that the Obi-Datti team would run a government that would optimize the potentials of the Nigerian youths in productive endeavours by providing them the congenial environment and opportunities to earn decent living.

He also promised to elevate Lagos into a global industrial and commercial hub through infrastructural upgrades and ease of doing business.

He charged the people to evaluate the candidates that would manage their affairs on the parameters of competence and character but not on tribe, religion, or privilege.

“It’s the turn of Nigerians to take back their country and reposition it for a huge role in the comity of nations,” he told the crowd.

Speakers at the rally including Datti; Afenifere chieftain, Pa Ayo Adebanjo; LP national chairman, Bar Julius Abure; and others urged the Nigerian voters to give the new candidates and their party a chance to rescue the country after the other parties have successfully pushed the nation down the slope.

The Oracle Today meanwhile reports that Mr Peter Obi remains the most popular of the three presidential contestants in the upcoming polls, leasing other contestants with very wide margin.

According to a new poll conducted by Bloomberg News by Premise Data Corporation, two-thirds of respondents said they intend to vote for Obi in elections scheduled for later this month. The results of the survey showed that out of the 93% of participants who said they’ve decided how to vote, 66% named Obi as their preferred choice.

Obi scored a slightly higher 72% among decided respondents in an earlier Premise poll that was released by Bloomberg in September as the official election campaign kicked off, consolidating his populkarity lead in the race.

Meanwhile the ruling APC and main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have derided polling that has almost universally put Mr Obi in the lead.

Still, Obi has emerged as the most popular candidate in six polls including the two surveys conducted by Premise for Bloomberg. Another poll released this week by Lagos-based media and data company Stears predicted that Obi will win in the event of high turnout, but lose to Bola Tinubu of the APC if participation is weak.

While widespread frustration with worsening economic hardship and growing insecurity has propelled Obi’s campaign further than many initially felt possible, his party lacks the nationwide organizational capabilities of the APC and PDP which are better resourced for vote buying factor dreaded in the country’s elections.