Former Anambra State Governor and presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has sparked mixed reactions online following his appearance at the inauguration of the Abuja campaign office of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) presidential candidate, Seyi Makinde.
The event, held on Monday in the Federal Capital Territory, was attended by Makinde’s supporters, Obi and other members of the APM.
Videos of the event shared online showed Obi expressing solidarity with Makinde and describing him as a qualified candidate for the presidency.
Obi said his presence at the inauguration was aimed at promoting cooperation among political leaders and allowing Nigerians to freely choose their preferred candidate.
“You have a candidate who is contesting for President today. My dear brother, Seyi Makinde, is he qualified to be President? Yes. He’s qualified,” Obi said.
He added that whoever emerged victorious through a free and credible election should be supported by others to work towards addressing the country’s challenges.
“Whoever wins, genuinely, from a free, fair, credible election, all of us want to work together to save this country from collapse. That is why I’m here, to show solidarity, to assure you that we are changing the people,” he said.
“We don’t want policies of quarrel, policies of disagreement. Let our quarrel be to feed our people,” he added.
He further expressed his desire for a country where citizens could achieve their aspirations regardless of their background or connections.
“We want Nigeria where a child of nobody can be somebody without knowing anybody. That’s what we want,” Obi added.
The speech, however, triggered varied reactions online, with some social media users praising Obi’s position, while others questioned the decision of a presidential candidate to appear at the campaign event of another presidential contender.
Omo_asunmogejo wrote: “Is Peter Obi not a ‘gbewudani’ by joining the campaign of another presidential candidate in an election that he himself is a candidate. If he is serious about his own campaign he won’t have time to be campaigning for another presidential candidate.”
Deximal simply reacted: “Lol. Presidential candidate at the inauguration of another presidential candidate.”
Segun Benson suggested that there could be more to the development, writing: “Something is cooking underneath. Well, once done, we will all see it, whether to eat it or trash it.”
Paul Bushman criticised Obi’s approach, describing it as “naive politics.” He wrote: “Can you see a democrat or republican at another party’s function endorsing their candidate while also contesting for the same position? Nothing like politics without bitterness. Obi lacks ideological faithfulness. No wonder he changes parties easily.”
Tripsoflife also questioned the development, writing “Obidients are supporting and marketing @PeterObi an NDC presidential candidate, in return Obi is marketing @seyimakinde of the APM. Stop Obi from attending places you guys think it was a joke, soon baba go campaign for Atiku and Tinubu. Obi(MTN) everywhere you go.”
However, some users defended Obi, arguing that his appearance demonstrated a willingness to put national interest above personal political ambition.
Odyssey wrote: “This man only cares about Nigerians. He’s not desperate to be president. He just wants to save Nigerians, so let’s try our best to support his goal for us all. Nigerians Wake up.”
Jeremial Olaposi described Obi’s approach as “the more you look, the less you see style of politics.”
Peter Obi sparks reactions with appearance at Makinde’s campaign office