Muhammed Suleiman, national youth leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), says Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), is not known in many states in the north.
Suleiman spoke on Monday at the PDP youths and student engagement town hall meeting in Lagos.
The PDP national youth leader said elections can only be won by candidates who have structures across the country and not by sentiments.
“Some people are banking on sentiments to get votes from their people which is very unfortunate,” he said.
“Tinubu is saying it is his turn to be Nigeria’s president. We cannot hand over 200 million lives to you without presenting and defending your policy document. We need a president who can defend his policy document anywhere he finds himself in the world.
“Let me shift to the other side, the ‘Obidients’. You cannot win the election by promoting sentiments. Telling people to vote for you because you’re a Christian or Muslim is not the Nigeria we dream about.
“Let me tell you this: If you go to Katsina, Sokoto and many other states in the north — they don’t know anything like Peter Obi.
“You must take your campaign to the grassroots. We have over 170, 000 polling units in Nigeria; and let me tell you that Labour Party doesn’t have a structure in 80 percent of these polling units. How are they going to win elections? They cannot win.”
Also speaking at the event, Alao John, deputy south-west coordinator of the National Association of Nigeria Students (NANS), reaffirmed the group’s support for Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the PDP.
John, who formally endorsed Abubakar at the PDP rally in Oyo, said the former vice-president has the vision to reform the education sector.
“We are very optimistic that we shall deliver Atiku Abubakar. For an active educational system in Nigeria, vote Atiku. We need someone who will change the narrative of our great country. That is why I’m calling on our parents here to support Atiku,” he said.
