The Lagos governorship candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Funso Doherty, says the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, retains a strong support base and has the backing to repeat his 2023 electoral performance in Lagos State.
Doherty said this during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, following an attack on the party’s town hall meeting in Lagos.
He dismissed suggestions that Obi’s reception among Nigerians could be weakened by his defection from the Labour Party to the NDC, arguing that his appeal is rooted in his political philosophy rather than the platform on which he contests elections.
“The idea of a new party is not something that we should hang our hat on anymore in our clime. Parties may be new, but the individuals involved are not new.
“But the reception of Peter Obi today, that is how it is everywhere he goes. This is a man who is loved by the people. They view him as a different kind of politician, for good reason, and those of us who align with that philosophy and thinking,” he said.
Doherty warned against underestimating Obi’s political influence, saying such an assumption could prove costly.
“Anybody who is making a contrary case, time will tell. But I would advise them that if they are saying that just to downplay his significance, I think it will be a grave mistake on their part because his support base is still strong. I have seen it, not just today, we have seen it multiple times,” he added.
He said the resistance by NDC supporters to the disruption of the party’s town hall meeting was evidence that the enthusiasm which characterised Obi’s 2023 presidential campaign had not diminished.
“Those guys came in today probably thinking they would have an easy ride of it. They would come in and do what they might normally do, scatter things and people would run away. But people were not in that frame of mind.
“We have laboured for this, and you cannot deprive us of it. And I think that spirit is alive and strong. To those who might think that, following 2023, people have lost some of that energy, I think, if anything, today should let us know that it is game on.”
Attack On NDC supporters
Doherty also condemned the attack on the party’s town hall meeting at Classic Event Place in Oregun, Ikeja, describing it as “unprovoked” and “unnecessary.”
Suspected political thugs invaded the venue on Thursday ahead of the arrival of Obi and his supporters.
The attackers, said to be armed with cutlasses, cudgels and stones, allegedly vandalised property and damaged several vehicles parked within the premises.
However, NDC supporters resisted the attackers, confronting them and throwing chairs in an attempt to drive them away. The confrontation disrupted activities at the venue before security operatives intervened.
Despite the disruption, the meeting eventually proceeded, with Obi, Victor Umeh and other party figures, including activist Aisha Yesufu, attending the engagement.
Praising supporters who resisted the attack, Doherty described them as heroes and said their actions should send a message to politicians about ordinary Nigerians’ resolve to defend their rights.
2023 election, Lagos Politics
Obi contested the 2023 presidential election on the platform of the Labour Party, finishing third nationally behind APC candidate Bola Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
However, he defeated Tinubu in Lagos State, where he secured 582,454 votes against the APC candidate’s 572,606.
The APC has ruled the metropolitan state for 27 years. Tinubu, a former Lagos State governor, had enjoyed considerable political influence in the state, making Obi’s victory there one of the notable outcomes of the election.
Obi is now seeking the presidency on the platform of the NDC ahead of the 2027 general election.
Doherty expressed confidence that the opposition party could defeat the APC in the next election, insisting that the ruling party’s dominance in Lagos was not insurmountable.
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