Peter Obi seeks South-East PDP leaders’ support

The vice presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Mr. Peter Obi, has visited leaders of the party in the South-East, including governors, to seek support for his nomination, which he said was for all Igbo.

The governors had expressed reservations over Obi’s selection as Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s running mate, saying they were not consulted.

However, in a bid to diffuse the ‘tension’ that greeted his nomination as the PDP vice presidential candidate, the former Anambra State governor embarked on a peace mission to meet with leaders of the party in the South-East.

Obi paid a courtesy visit to Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, on Friday.


Before Friday’s visit to the Enugu State Government House, Obi had visited Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi, and Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, as well as Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu.

Obi also visited President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia Nwodo, at his Enugu residence, on Friday.

Speaking during the courtesy call on Ugwuanyi, Obi said his nomination for the position ‘was for all Igbo’.

He also said he visited the South-East PDP leaders to seek their support.

The former Anambra State governor explained that he was passing through Enugu and decided to see the governor and ‘inform’ him of his nomination as the PDP vice presidential candidate.

“Politics is about what is there for your people, not what is there for you. For me, this nomination is about all Igbo; we can’t continue saying we are being marginalised. This is an opportunity to get some of the things we want.

“I need the prayers and support of all of you and I can assure you that it is about us, not about Peter Obi,” he said during the courtesy call.

While meeting with Nwodo, Obi appealed to leaders of the PDP in the South-East to see his nomination as ‘their own’.

Fielding questions from journalists afterwards, Obi downplayed the reservations raised by some PDP leaders over his nomination.

He described the issue as a communication gap, saying, “I don’t think that they raised any dust – they are my leaders. They only disagreed with the process of communication.

“None of them have said that they don’t want Peter Obi; they only said they wished they were consulted. I respect them, I have visited Umahi, Ekweremadu, Ikpeazu, Ugwuanyi, and now I am visiting the Ohanaeze leader.”