The Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki, has warned the two leading political parties in the country – the ruling All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party – that many Nigerians, especially youths, are looking for alternative political parties ahead of the 2023 election and gravitating towards Peter Obi of the Labour Party.
According to the governor, the leadership that has been provided by both the APC and PDP has driven many Nigerians, mostly the youth to search for an alternative, which is bad news for the two leading parties ahead of the 2023 presidential election.
Obaseki, who was speaking in an interview with African Independent Television regarding the just concluded Ekiti governorship election, warned of the changing political template and atmosphere as the citizens are taking serious interest in politics.
In a video posted on the verified Instagram page of the media mogul, Dele Momodu, as viewed by Bellnews Online, Obaseki was seen asking, “How can PDP, the party, not win? They were not even number two,” regarding the election in Ekiti State.
He said that, “You can see that something is going on and we do not want this to be a trend. The future of our politics in this country is changing.
“I do not know whether you are closely watching what is going on; the level of disenchantment within the parties. I am sure in all of our homes now, we have so many people now who call themselves ‘Obidients’.
“I don’t know whether you have them in your house. Just ask them, ‘which party are you?’, they say ‘Obidients’; you understand.
They do not want us; they are not talking about PDP or APC. They are looking for alternatives and they are many,” the governor said.
He added that, “You see all of them queuing for their PVCs now. They are not looking at the direction of PDP or APC now. They are looking for alternatives.
“If we do not curb this, if we do not make our party attractive, I do not know what will happen in the next elections.”
Obidient is a slang that has been created by Peter Obi supporters, to drive his movement, to mean their loyalty to him under all circumstances.
Obi, who was Atiku Abubakar’s running mate in 2019, has seen a sharp rise in popularity owing to huge youth following, especially on social media.
The former Anambra State governor defected from the PDP to the Labour Party to become its presidential candidate.