Okowa: Peter Obi lacks experience to become Nigeria’s President

Delta State Governor and vice-presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ifeanyi Okowa, has said the presidential flag-bearer of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, lacks the needed experience to be the president of the country.

Okowa said Obi’s previous experience as a former governor of Anambra State is not enough for the presidency.

The governor said this in a recent interview with BBC Pidgin.

Governor Okowa said: “I did not say he won’t have any votes, he will have. But what I’m saying is that he’s not a new candidate. It has not been long since he left PDP. You know he was in APGA before, from APGA he came to PDP. It hasn’t been long since he left (PDP) so he cannot say anything about PDP because that’s where he was before.Some of us are still here.

“At every party, there are good people and bad people. But today’s Nigeria is very troubled and we need the right person. That is why I am appealing to our youths to be wise and vote well, they should not be blinded by the concept of a false change because that is how they raved on Jonathan in 2015.

“His (Obi) previous experience is not enough for this one (presidency), it will be hard. His experience is not deep enough. Even as a current governor ruling in a time of crisis, I know how hard it is,” he stated.

The governor added that he looks forward to learning from Atiku over the latter’s experience as a former Vice-President, adding that the presidency “is not easy”.

“For them to have handled the economy at that time and made it something better, offering hope, creating jobs, and filtering the society, was not easy because it’s a bigger thing.

“So someone is supposed to learn through that. If you look at Obi’s experience you’ll know it’s small,” Okowa added.

Speaking on the crisis rocking the PDP ahead of the 2023 general election, Okowa, who described his Rivers State counterpart, Nyesom Wike, as his friend, said efforts were on to speak with him, adding that the governor is a very important member of the main opposition party.

The Star

Segun Ojo