The Atiku-Okowa presidential campaign in Anambra state has mocked the Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, for his preference of a miniature stadia located in a church premises in the commercial hub of Onitsha as the venue for his rally in the state.
The campaign said the development has reaffirmed its long-held belief that Peter Obi is not popular in Anambra, as frequently asserted, and would ultimately fail to win the election on home turf.
Uloka Chukwubuike, the Deputy Director Media and Publicity of Atiku-Okowa Campaign in Anambra State in a statement on Tuesday said that the decision of All Saints Anglican Church miniature stadia is to cover his unpopularity at home while also renting audiences from the church and those in Onitsha for business.
“Obi, who served as governor for two terms, should have used Awka’s popular Alex Ekwueme Square, where large-scale campaign rallies are held.
“As governor, Obi never held rallies anywhere other than the popular Alex Ekwueme Square; one could question why he avoided the square and instead chose a location ten times (10x) smaller in size and capacity. This suggests that Peter Obi is nothing but an effect of social media grandstanding rather than domestic popularity.
“Because of his dismal record as governor, Peter Obi is hesitant to hold his rally in Awka. Obi underdeveloped Awka for eight years as governor; he turned the supposed capital territory into a mere rural environment and made it unproductive; there are no signature projects anywhere in Awka that have his administration’s imprints; he left Awka a rural village and is now afraid to campaign at the state capital because he will not get any support from the residents.
“It is sad that the Labour candidate left and chose Onitsha instead, where he will have access to the more than fifty (50) busy markets in the city, as major markets in and around Onitsha will be opening for the year today, which is why he chose to schedule his campaign rally on the same day so as to exploit the vulnerability of the commercial city. These and more are cogent proof that Obi is unpopular in Anambra State.
“With the success of the PDP presidential rally and the crowds that swarmed Alex Ekwueme Square in Awka on December 15, 2022, to receive Atiku Abubakar, GCON, and Senator Ifeanyichukwu Okowa, CON, those are indications that the PDP controls and will continue to control the votes in Anambra State.
“We are urging southerners and the entire Ndi-Igbo to not put our political future in the hands of political waste pickers because of sentiment and emotions; February polls are not for sentiment or trial and error, but a reality we must embrace and mainstream our region and, most importantly, Anambra State to the National Grid through support for Atiku-Okowa’s ticket”.
