Veteran journalist and broadcaster Donu Kogbara has called on former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to take a backseat and support presidential candidate of the Labour Party in 2023, Peter Obi, in the 2027 presidential elections.
Speaking during an interview on ARISE NEWS on Monday, Kogbara said, “Atiku should become the daddy of this thing. He should become a statesman who stands behind Peter and whoever his running mate will be.”
The comments came in response to an impromptu online poll she conducted, which revealed overwhelming public disinterest in traditional candidates. Kogbara noted, “I threw it open to Twitter there and see what they say… I was quite taken aback by the results… As you said earlier, Atiku only got 7%, Amaechi only got 6%, and 87% said they didn’t want either of them.”
While acknowledging the informal nature of such polls, she added, “I think what polls do is they’re snapshots… They are not the end all and be all.”
Kogbara didn’t shy away from addressing regional bias in her audience, saying, “I’m quite aware of the possibility that my audience is not Northern enough… I’m actually arranging a poll for Kano, Maiduguri and places like that.”
When asked about Obi’s popularity, she was direct, “I just find that Peter Obi is way and above the most popular politician in Nigeria today… there’s something about Peter on his own that seems to work.”
However, she tempered that with a warning against political idolisation, “I don’t approve of unconditional worship of anybody. I do not approve of hero worship… If Peter Obi does something really obnoxious tomorrow, I will be the first one to say so.”
On the question of coalitions, Kogbara drew a historical parallel, “It was the same thing in 2013-2014 when the ACN and CPC were coming together to form the APC… Most people were interested in Buhari because… he didn’t take nonsense… I think Peter’s a bit like that.”
Despite her personal reservations, she acknowledged the political necessity of a coalition, “Yes, exactly. That’s it. I would have preferred him to stand on his own. But… I can live with the coalition.”
She dismissed the idea of electoral strength based on past performances, stating bluntly, “I don’t trust the results of the 2023 election… There was so much muggle muggle.”
When asked about the North’s potential reception of Obi, she responded, “Tinubu has already upset a lot of northerners… I’m not sure it’s going to be that difficult to topple Tinubu in the north this time around.”
Kogbara emphasised the importance of political image and credibility going forward, “You need to assure the public that those who have a less than fantastic reputation are not going to be the image of the party… It’s such a difficult balancing act… I don’t envy Peter. I don’t envy Atiku. I don’t envy Amaechi.”
Her final call to citizens was unequivocal, “Nigerians… stop behaving like sheep… Judge and protest when there’s a reason to protest.”
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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