The Director-General of the Peter Obi Campaign Organisation, Dr. Doyin Okupe, says former Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State will not be joining the New Nigeria Peoples Party led by former Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso.
Okupe said this during a chat with The PUNCH on Thursday, adding that Obi would not be settling for the position of Vice-President in any party.
He said, “He (Obi) will not be joining the NNPP. Youcan quote me on this.”
When asked which party the former governor would be joining, Okupe said an announcement would be made on Friday morning.
Obi, who had purchased the N40m Presidential forms of the PDP and had even been screened to contest in the primary slated for Saturday, suddenly dumped the party on Wednesday.
The former governor was said to have met Kwankwaso while sources had also told our correspondent that he would be joining the Labour Party.
However, it was learnt that the NNPP had already settled for Kwankwaso and was only willing to give Obi the Vice-Presidential ticket, an offer the former governor was said to have rejected.
“He (Obi) will not settle for the position of Vice-President in any party,” said Okupe, while refusing to speak further on the matter.
Obi, who enjoys large support among the youths – the largest demographic in the country – was one of 15 Presidential aspirants in the PDP.
However, it was learnt the former Anambra governor had not been able to get the needed number of delegates to his side unlike other major aspirants like Vice-President Atiku Abubakar; Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, his Sokoto State counterpart, Aminu Tambuwal; and Senate President Bukola Saraki.
Okupe had lamented on Arise Television on Wednesday that some Presidential aspirants were willing to give each delegate as high as $20,000, a development which the campaign DG described as outrageous.
The PDP has refused to make any comment on Obi’s departure.
However, Wike told Channels Television on Thursday that the former governor’s departure would be of no effect as he had failed to win his home state of Anambra for the PDP in two consecutive governorship elections.
