Osun election shows LP won’t have much votes in 2023 – Atiku

Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar has dismissed claims that the Labour Party fielding Peter Obi as its presidential flagbearer will have effects on his party’s votes especially in the South East.

Atiku who was speaking during an interview with Arise TV, said the recently concluded election in Osun State, where the PDP candidate Ademola Adeleke won, has shown that the LP has no structure.

According to him, it would take more than the social media for the LP to have considerable amount of votes in the 2023 elections.

“I don’t expect the Labour Party to take as much votes from the PDP as people are suggesting. We could have seen it in the last election in Osun; what is the performance of the Labour Party? This is a party that doesn’t have a governor, doesn’t have members of the national assembly, doesn’t have state assembly members,” Atiku said.

“Politics in this country depends on the structures you have at these various levels – at the local government levels, at the state levels and at the national level. So, it is very difficult to expect a miracle to happen simply because Peter Obi is in Labour Party. After all, they were saying through the social media, they had more than one million votes in Osun State, but how many votes did they get.

“Then again, you are talking about social media, in the North, 90 per cent of our people are not on social media.”

The former vice president also spoke on his relationship with the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

“My fundamental disagreement with Asiwaju since 2007 was on the issue of Muslim-Muslim ticket, that was my fundamental disagreement and departure politically from Asiwaju. Remember, I came out from PDP on the issue of zoning, and together with Asiwaju, we formed the ACN and I was given the ticket in Lagos and he insisted to be my running mate and I said no, I am not going to have the Muslim-Muslim ticket,” he added.

On his choice of Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa as his running mate, Atiku said he chose someone who had political experience, who is brilliant and who could also be president.

“Okowa is a guy that is very brilliant, very well educated. He started his political career from the local government, to commissioner, then to a senator and to a governor. So, in terms of all the political parameters, he has gotten the experience.

“As I announced in my statement, I am seeking for a vice president who from day one can be a president, he is intellectually brilliant. So, these are some of the reasons I picked him,” he said.