IBUKUNOLUWA KING-OKUNEYE
Former presidential aspirant of the All Progressives Congress in the 2019 presidential election, Dr. SKC Ogbonnia says he is rejecting the APC presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, and supporting Peter Obi because he sees “intellect, character, competence, and capacity” in the Labour Party presidential candidate.
Ogbonnia said, “Though I remain a member of All Progressives Congress, APC, I must not support Tinubu, its presidential candidate in the 2023 elections. The decision to endorse the candidate of an opposition party did not come easy. But there comes a time to say ‘enough is enough.”
In a statement made available to newsmen Ogbonnia said that his first disdain for Tinubu was that neither fellow party members nor ordinary Nigerians can claim to know “who Ahmed Tinubu truly is”.
He said, “Everything about the man is shady—from his name, state of origin, the schools attended, certificates received; his record in America to his true source of income, let alone any true intention of seeking the presidency, apart from an arrogant claim that it is his turn to rule Nigeria.
“Besides the shady background, a series of events also show that Tinubu does not have any good sense of equity, justice, fairness, and patriotism, virtues he claims to promote.
“The truth is that Bola Ahmed Tinubu is even more insensitive about the Nigerian state and her problems than President Muhammadu Buhari. It is a common knowledge that the APC National Leader no longer possesses the physical fitness to explore the Nigerian presidency, but it has equally become very apparent that he no longer has the mental capacity.”
Giving details on why he is rooting for Obi the APC chieftain said, “I see intellect, character, competence, and capacity; I see integrity and humility. I see patriotism; I see dynamism. I see enviable and verifiable track-record; I see attainable visions; I see hope for the Nigeria of our founding dreams; I see a democratic revolution whose time has come. This move is consistent with my politics. I never allow the mere exigencies of ethnicity, religion, or party affiliation to becloud my judgment. As a member of the National Republican Convention (NRC), I crossed party lines to campaign for MKO Abiola, the flagbearer for the Social Democratic Party (SDP). I saw Abiola as a better candidate than the candidate of my party, Bashir Tofa.
“I was a card-carrying member of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in its thickest state of Enugu. However, after the fraudulent general elections of 2007 where the ruling PDP dictated who won or who lost, I changed course. I vowed to join any movement that could remove PDP from power. I would become a foundation member of the APC and promoted Buhari to victory. I remain proud that we made history by dethroning the PDP–a virally corrupt ruling party that had planned to hold on to power for 60 unbroken years. We demonstrated consequences for bad behavior.
“Unfortunately, today, with Asiwaju Tinubu as its National Leader, the APC does not appear to have any ideological, moral, or ethical difference with the much-discredited PDP. Today, my party has shamelessly become a safe haven for corrupt kingpins indicted while in PDP. To make matters worse, the two presidential candidates of APC and PDP, Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar, respectively, are two of the most perfidious poster boys for Nigeria’s corrupt oligarchy. In short, neither Atiku nor Tinubu can in good conscience campaign against corruption.
“It is pertinent to note that no Nigerian leader, whether military or civilian, has ever assumed the governance of the country with the degree of mercenary influence cum notoriety commonly equated with Atiku and Tinubu. I have a conscience. I have chosen my country over my party. I have become OBI-dient for the greater good of Nigeria!! I call on other true progressives to do so.”
