Mr Festus Keyamo, Spokesman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign council has said the entry of Peter Obi of the Labour Party into the 2023 presidential election race has upset the political terrain.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Keyamo, who is the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, was reacting on Tuesday to the endorsement of Peter Obi by former President Olusegun Obasanjo and elder statesman, Chief Edwin Clark when he said this.
According to Keyamo, the endorsement has no effect on the ruling party but that it only made the path clearer to the victory of Bola Tinubu, candidate of the APC for the 2023 presidential election.
While stressing that the endorsement of Peter Obi by Obasanjo and Clark means that the PDP campaign has collapsed, the APC PCC Spokesman boasted that not one major stakeholder that supported the APC in 2019 has pulled out of the party.
“We can say confidently today that the PDP campaign has collapsed. The various components of the PDP in 2019 are the ones pulling out of that coalition. Nothing has affected the APC.
“If you look at 2019, every single component of that coalition they formed, both inside and outside the party against the APC, has virtually collapsed.
“The PANDEF endorsed Atiku in 2019. Edwin Clark is a member of the PANDEF. Ohanaeze endorsed Atiku in 2019. Obasanjo endorsed Atiku in 2019. Afenifere endorsed Atiku in 2019. Middle Forum endorsed Atiku in 2019.
“I know all of these groups. I was the returning officer to Mr President and the APC in 2019 at the International Conference Centre. We were concerned of the results coming from different parts of the country and I can tell you the results off my heart.
“So, I know clearly when we said that the jungle will mature for the PDP. What is going on now is that the PDP has virtually been torn to shreds both internally by the G5 and we heard that there is G1 now joining the G5 and also the sympathisers of the party in 2019.
“The party has imploded both inside and imploded even within the supporters and all those who formed alliances with PDP.
“Not one major stakeholder, party stalwart, governor of the party, sympathiser that supported the APC in 2019 that has pulled out and say they are not supporting us.
“But PDP, the various factors we have now that have upset the political terrain, which is Peter Obi and Kwankwaso; they were the components of PDP in 2019. Those are the two major factors now that have upset the political terrain.
“So, the recent endorsement of Edwin Clark for me, I am excited. I am excited by the endorsement of Obasanjo against Atiku and for Peter Obi because the endorsement of Obasanjo is not against APC but against Atiku.
“In other words, the endorsement of Atiku in 2019 was because of Peter Obi. It was not because of Atiku. Right now, Obasanjo has followed Peter Obi away from the PDP to Labour Party. Edwin Clark who endorsed Atiku in 2019 has followed Peter Obi from PDP to Labour Party.
“What is the effect on APC? It has just made the path to our victory clearer,” Keyamo said.