Dumebi Kachikwu, former presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, has claimed that ex-President Goodluck Jonathan has proposed appointing Peter Obi as Coordinating Minister of the Economy on the condition that Obi withdraws from the 2027 presidential race and support his (Jonathan’s) bid.
Addressing a press conference in Abuja on Friday, Kachikwu alleged that Northern political forces enlisted Jonathan into the race as part of a plan to weaken the South’s political influence.
“In order to weaken the South, they have now drafted in former President Jonathan into the race who is alleged to be offering Peter Obi the position of Coordinating Minister of the Economy for him to support his ambition,” he said.
Kachikwu also alleged that Obi was told his chances of securing Northern votes were slim solely because he is Igbo.
“A Peter Obi has been told in very clear terms that he will never get northern votes as an Ibo man, and as such, he should accept to be Atiku’s running mate,” he added.
He accused former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, along with certain Northern elites, of retaining political power for decades without addressing the region’s high levels of illiteracy and poverty.
“They use the weapons of region, religion, tongue, tribe and poverty as they convince millions of poor Northerners that a southern President Tinubu hates them and is the cause of their poverty,” Kachikwu charged.
He condemned what he described as the intentional circulation of false information targeting President Bola Tinubu and other presidential hopefuls from the South.
Calling on Nigerians to resist Atiku and his allies, Kachikwu said, “We must all come to equity with clean hands and sincerity of purpose.
“We don’t burn our houses because we want to kill rats and cockroaches; sometimes we just need to make our houses clean so that rats and cockroaches leave on their own.
“My earnest prayer is that Nigeria will soon work for everyone of us,” Kachikwu said.
