Reno Omokri, former media aide to ex-president Goodluck Jonathan, has expressed admiration for Peter Obi, the 2023 Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party (LP), for remaining the sole prominent opposition figure in the country.
Omokri shared his remark on his verified Facebook page on Friday, in a rare support for Obi’s presidential ambition.
According to the former presidential adviser, Obi has retired top opposition leaders such as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, Rabiu Kwakwanso of the New Nigerian people Party, NNPP.
Obi came third in the 2023 presidential election, won by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, APC who secured over 12 million votes. The LP candidate scored over six million votes, according to the results declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, while Abubakar of the PDP scored over eight million votes.
In the aftermath of the election, political analysts have credited Obi for being more visible among other key opposition figures, by constantly taking on the ruling APC and its policies.
In his latest criticism of the Tinubu administration on Thursday, January 2, 2025 the LP strongman accused the APC-led government of failing to address the worsening economic and security challenges in his first 18 months in office. President Tinubu came to office on May 29, 202.
APC has described him as a ‘doomsday’ politician following the uncomplimentary remark.
Omokri said in his post that other opposition figures in the country have become irrelevant, adding that anyone who thinks otherwise is ‘deluded’.
Even though he’s not an admirer of the LP candidate, Omokri said Obi has trudged on despite all the challenges, noting that he has a better future if could become less ‘Igbo-centric, appeal to his Obidients to use persuasive rather than abusive words’ against opponents.
He said, “Peter Obi is currently the Number One opposition figure in Nigeria. Bar none. Anybody in any opposition party who thinks that he is bigger than Obi right now is ‘just deluded’.
“The man, Obi, is severely flawed, but I admire how he has trudged on despite the obstacles he faces. Some people in one or two opposition parties have already been retired by Obi, but they just don’t know it yet because their money is keeping them on political life support.
“If only he could be less Igbo-centric, appeal to his Obidients to use persuasive rather than abusive words and admit, then apologise for his ‘Yes Daddy’ ‘religious war’ comment against the Muslim Ummah, he would go far. Those are his Achilles heel. He cannot cross the Rubicon without addressing them.”
The magazine reported that Obi met with three top leaders in the country, including former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former military Head of State, Gen Ibrahim Babangida (rtd.) and President Goodluck Jonathan within the week, in a what political analysts said was part of his plan for the 2027 presidential election.
