By Abiola Olawale
The spokesperson of the Peter Obi Media Reach (POMR), Yunusa Tanko, has clarified that his principal, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, will only work in a merger that has plans to improve the well-being of Nigerians.
Tanko said Obi is not interested in working with a merger that only seeks to wrest power from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The New Diplomat reports that talks have emerged from certain quarters of the country that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party and other opposition parties are planning to form a merger, which will wrest power from President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 General Election.
Tanko, whose reaction to the talks came during an interview session on Monday’s edition of Channels Television’s “Politics Today,” said Obi would only work with people “who have similar values and goals with him.”
He said Obi’s ultimate aim is “to ensure that Nigeria is great and will support any party that will ensure that.”
He said: “His Excellency, Peter Gregory Obi, is not interested in a merger that is only for the interest of seeking power. He is interested in a merger that will bring Nigerians out of the poverty level, bringing the Nigerian people to a comfortable state of health care.
“Making sure Nigerians have potable drinking water; making sure the problem of power supply is being solved.
“So, therefore, he is interested strongly in a merger that is driven by ideology and a programme. But if it’s only for power, he is not interested.”
Tanko said though Obi and former Vice President and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar were in talks, he doesn’t think the planned merger between the PDP and the Labour Party would work.
He pointed out Atiku’s comment, where he expressed his willingness to continue contesting presidential elections, “as the reason the planned merger will fail.”
He added: “They have worked together before in 2019. It would not be out of place if they work together again. I am not in their minds but I don’t see the possibility.
“They met a few days ago, and after the meeting, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar came out to say he would continue to contest as long as he’s alive and healthy.
“To me, that was to send a signal to those, especially the media, who were running with the notion that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar might step down and shelve his political ambition for Peter. But the follow-up statement a week later clarified that.”
