The Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) of Labour Party on Monday defended the recent campaign visit of its candidate Peter Obi to Alaba International Market in Lagos State.

“A day before this election [campaign rally in Lagos], there were [questions]: ‘are we going to shift it?’” Obi’s Special Adviser on Strategic Alliances, Valentine Ozigbo, said during a live appearance on The 2023 Verdict, a Channels Television programme.

“And landing, maybe the planning hadn’t been concluded. Alaba wasn’t even planned. Nobody was informed that he was coming and you saw that crowd. Imagine if they got a few days’ notice, a day’s notice that His Excellency was gonna come; he wouldn’t walk that street at all.”

In Ozigbo’s view, the important thing for Obi was seizing every opportunity to engage and reach out to Nigerians.

Asked if the prevalence of an Igbo community, the candidate’s kin, at the popular market formed part of the rationale for Obi’s visit, the campaign strategist argued otherwise.

“The reality is that what Peter Obi has demonstrated is total detribalisation in everything he has done,” he said. “He’s the only candidate that would go to even Igboland and say to everyone, ‘Do not vote for me because I’m an Igbo man.’”

Ozigbo challenged other prominent candidates to make similar declarations.

“I wish Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu [of All Progressives Congress] can go to the Yoruba and say, ‘Don’t vote for me because I’m Yoruba,’” he said.

“I wish Atiku Abubakar [of Peoples Democratic Party] can go to the North and say, ‘Don’t vote for me because I’m a northerner.’ The important thing here is to see the personality of Peter Obi.”

According to Ozigbo, the Labour Party presidential campaign is far from over. The campaign strategist explained that there are other stops ahead of the February 25 poll.

“[There are] a couple of Obas within Lagos he’s still going to see,” he said. “For Peter Obi, he goes everywhere; anywhere he has a crowd he can speak to and convince more people.” (Channels TV)