BY MAYOWA SAMUEL
The Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has stated that he doesn’t want to recycle an old hand, that’s someone who had been in government before now to be his vice presidential candidate for the 2023 election.
Stating his choice of running mate during a TV program on Wednesday, the former Anambra State governor revealed that he would rather prefer a younger running mate with something to offer to complement his ticket.
On social media rumours suggesting he had picked the, founder of Baze University, Dr. Baba Ahmed, as his vice-presidential candidate, Obi stated that although Baba-Ahmed was capable, he was yet to pick a running mate as consultations are still taking place.
He said, “We’re talking to a quite number of people and Baba-Ahmed is a capable hand. But I wish I can work with somebody who is younger.
“I prefer younger people who have a lot to offer rather than recycling old hands. I want a competent person and I am building a formidable team.
“I want people who can look me in the eye and disagree with me during cabinet meetings. People who have their own minds and ideas.
Asked about when he will release his manifesto, Obi said, “How can I hire professors to write or draft policy documents for me that I don’t even believe in?”
“I have replicated all that I am promising Nigerians before. It would be the same thing. What I did in Anambra and what I achieved is what we will replicate on a larger scale. We want Nigeria to become the engine of production,” he noted.
The former Peoples Democratic Party vice-presidential candidate further alleged that his opponents had paid some people online to malign his campaign team by infiltrating his core supporters and releasing falsehoods online.
Obi however noted that despite the campaigns of calumny online and rumours that northerners won’t vote for him during the 2023 election, he believed that Nigerians and people from the North will vote for him based on competent.
“I am contesting to be Nigeria’s president to solve the country’s problem and not because I am from a part or region of the country.
“We need to do things that will bring people hope. Nigerians must be proud of this country and that is what I planned to do,” he added.
