Eugene Nwaizugbe is the Ogun State Coordinator of Peter Obi Presidential Campaign Organisation. In this interview, he says that there are only two political parties in Nigeria, the Labour Party and others, why God has prepared Peter Obi to rescue Nigeria, among other issues. Excerpts:

Nigerians at this point in time of our political history are yearning for a change in leadership in come 2023. Given the three major political parties and their presidential flag bearers, which party do you think can deliver the desired change?

First of all, I want to correct you. We have only one political force and that is the Labour Party led by Peter Obi. The other ones are just struggling. Labour Party is not just a political party, it is a movement. In all generations, once there is a movement, nothing can stop it. The other ones are struggling. You find out that they are all confused. They don’t know what to do. They are not talking about anything; they are only talking about Peter Obi. They don’t tell Nigerians what they intend to do if elected. Peter Obi is now a movement, and he is no longer in control of what is going on. The last time we met him; he just sat down, looking at us. He doesn’t know what is happening. It has overwhelmed him; it is beyond him. Whether he likes it or not, he is the one the country has chosen and nobody can stop it. So we have just two political parties, the Labour Party and the other ones.

But some people said that the race is between Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar……….

No! What the north did was to abandon the carcass of APC to Bola Tinubu and agreed to vote for Atiku. But unfortunately for them, the movement started by God through Peter Obi has confused all of them. In the camp of Atiku, there is a lot of confusion. They have forces now, the Rivers State, Middle Belt and the northern forces. They are afraid because the Rivers forces led by Nyesom Wike have turned volte face against them. They don’t have Rivers votes; they don’t have South-East votes; the Middle Belt votes and the Hausas have come out to say there is no other person other than Peter Obi. The PDP has no more voters as they expected. Last Wednesday the APC chieftains went to visit Buhari. Tinubu and the whole Southern APC bloc refused to go. What are they trying to do? They want to join hands with the movement. So there is no contest any more. It is only Peter Obi that is now in the ring.

How do you see the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the APC?

It is an insult; an insult to Nigerians. I am happy that the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), the South- South, the South East, the Middle Belt, and even the north have come out to condemn it outright. It is an aberration and Nigerians will never allow it to stand. It is one of the major things that have worked against Bola Tinubu. Now he has realised it but doesn’t know what to do. That is why he is in a political coma now.

Some say its only Tinubu that has capacity to continue with the legacy of President Muhammadu Buhari. What is your take on this?

Yes, he has the legacy to continue to destroy Nigeria. That is the legacy he has. The only legacy he has is to continue to destroy Nigeria. What can he give us? He doesn’t have what we call factors of production. He doesn’t know that we are no longer producing. Recall now that they said about the debt servicing, the money we use to service our debts, is now greater that the money we make every month. So the country is now broke. He doesn’t know what is called production. He will only continue to destroy Nigeria as Buhari did. That is the only legacy he has; that is the only capacity he has. But in Peter Obi there is fullness of life; there are ingredients of success that God has endowed him with.

It is said that Kashim Shettima was foisted on Tinubu because the northern establishment doesn’t want a Christian VP. How do you react to this?

No! It is not that they don’t want a Christian Vice President. The point is that they don’t want a Southerner to rule Nigeria. They believe that Tinubu would die in office and they would take over. If they don’t succeed in enthroning Atiku Abubakar, they are hoping that Tinubu will die in office. Moreover, he is a representative of Boko Haram. They say he is their grand master. They want to control Nigeria through Boko Haram. He is their patron, that is why they forced him on Tinubu and Tinubu is no longer comfortable with it. That is why he refused to go and see Buhari when APC went to see him.

The Peter Obi Campaign is moving like a hurricane. What is responsible for this?

I will say as a Catholic that God prepared Virgin Mary from infancy to give us Jesus Christ. God prepared Peter Obi from infancy to come and rescue Nigeria. I am a privileged person because I have known Peter Obi from childhood. We grew up together. When we were young, when we make money we would give it to Peter Obi to keep for us. Some of us who were very mischievous would mark the money, their penny and give Obi so that they would know if he would spend the money. But any day we ask him to bring the money; he would bring exactly the marked ones and give it back to you. Peter as a child didn’t go to parties with us. He didn’t womanize nor did he drink like the rest. The only thing he knows how to do is work and work. It will interest you to know that in primary 6 Peter Obi bought a Beetle car. How did he do it? He was going to Okpanam to buy guinea fowl eggs. He would cook the eggs and his mother would be selling them for him. He formed a team that goes to buy for him in primary school. They would buy and bring to the house and he would cook and give them to his mother to sell. So by the time he was to enter secondary school, he bought a Beetle car for his mother. He is somebody who knows how to make money. He can generate money. By the time he was going to the university, he was already a millionaire. He was going to U.K. to buy things to sell. So he knows how to create wealth. What Nigerians are looking for now is somebody who can create wealth and who can make things work. God has heard the cries of Nigerians and has raised Peter Obi to wipe out their tears. He has no skeleton in his cupboard; everywhere in the world, he has no skeleton in his cupboard. For somebody as rich as he is and has no skeleton in his cupboard, it means divine providence has prepared him for this task. So he is the best.

How prepared is Obi to face the powers that be, the Tinubus and Atikus of this world?

Peter Obi doesn’t have any problem because he is moving with the storm and the storm is the movement. Obi is no longer the person driving it. Tinubu and Atiku don’t have that kind of storm. The hurricane is sweeping Nigeria; these people cannot do anything.

What does PDP victory in the Osun governorship election portend for 2023 general elections?

It is telling you that President Muhammadu Buhari wants to leave a legacy of conducting a free and fair election. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) doesn’t want to make mistakes again because everybody is watching them. In the Osun State election, the youths came out to vote. They voted for the candidate of their choice. That is what is going to happen in 2023.

What is your opinion about the impersonation that played out during the unveiling of Kashim Shettima as APC VP candidate?

It is part of the charade that has been holding Nigeria down. APC is a charade. The party has nothing to give us. APC is a fraud. It has lost it. That is why they hired thugs to come as bishops. Shame on them.

How would Obi’s choice of Yusuf as VP enhance his victory in the north?

I was in Kaduna the day Yusuf was announced as his VP. There were jubilations in the streets. The youths drank from morning to morning. They were saying that when they were looking for jobs, they would tell them to bring their credentials, qualifying credentials, but when they want to bring presidential candidates they would bring those who don’t have certificates. So having seen a person who has a Ph.D., a guru, an institution, an academic, the youths were very happy. They were dancing not only in Sabon Gari but also in Hausa core quarters where the youths were.(Daily Independent)

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