With the race for the presidency now in full swing, a chieftain of the Lagos Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Adetokunbo Pearse has come out to share his thoughts on the chances of his party’s presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar emerging victorious in the Southwest region of the country, which is considered to be the stronghold of All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Speaking during an interview with the Bellnewsonline.com on Tuesday, November 1, 2022, Pearse insisted that it is not impossible for Atiku to clinch four states In the Southwest despite Tinubu’s perceived political stranglehold of the region, adding that the outcome of the Osun governorship election a few months ago was a testament to the fact.
He went on to opine that the PDP would have been in a strong position to defeat Tinubu in Lagos if not for the sudden emergence of Labour Party candidate, Peter Obi.
“If Atiku is able to get four states in the Southwest or even three states, the game is over. That means he has defeated both Obi and Tinubu in the South. When we go to the North, I don’t think they can beat him there. They have lost in their own zones and this has nothing to do with whether you are Yoruba or Igbo, it is the bridges you have built in the past.
Tinubu is likely going to win in Lagos because his political machinery is too strong and well-oiled. But apart from Lagos, I don’t see him winning any other state in the Southwest. However, if he is not careful in Lagos, Atiku may beat him this time. If not for Peter Obi, we would have beaten Tinubu flat in Lagos with votes of the Igbo and other non-indigenes that are mainly PDP,” he said.