2023: Onoh clarifies his preference for Tinubu for President

By Adeleye Kunle

Dr. Josef Onoh, a former Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship aspirant in Enugu State, has shed more light on why he is campaigning for All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential candidate Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, to become Nigeria’s next president, despite their different political affiliations.

According to Onoh, his stance on Tinubu is based on the Southern Nigeria leaders, particularly the governors, who met in Asaba, Enugu, and Lagos, respectively, and insisted that the next president of Nigeria, come 2023, must emerge from Southern Nigeria.

Onoh stated that, despite being a PDP member, he will vote for all PDP candidates, particularly in his home state of Enugu, but will not support the party’s presidential candidate because his party, the PDP, chose a Northern presidential candidate, despite the party’s constitution requiring power to alternate between the Southern and Northern parts of Nigeria.

He also stated that he was unaware that Mr. Peter Obi of the Labour Party is from the southeast and holds him in high regard, but his reservation for Obi was Obi’s inability to form team players, always believing that he (Obi) is the only one who can save the country on his own.

Onoh, on the other hand, stated that Tinubu has a pedigree in the form of his detribalized nature, non-religious extremism, leadership performance, and national political clout, which led him to foster a coalition of political parties across nation divides that formed the APC.

He stated that he is not moved by emotions or religious sentiments and does not require political office to be successful; thus, he is bold to speak the truth regardless of who is offended.

“Let me give you a brief history of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, so I’ll sail and sink with his presidential ambition without regret, and I urge all sincere southern governors, regardless of party affiliation, to support Jagaban.”

“He was the first to disrupt the master plan machinery of election rigging in Nigeria, thereby assisting in the reclaiming of South West states lost to the PDP.” Tinubu was also the leader who launched the Nigerian telecommunications revolution, Econet, before it became a national success in the telecom sector.

“Tinubu was the first politician to initiate the Economic Summit, which speaks to the man’s visionary sagacity.” He established the Treasury Single Account (TSA). The Federal Government later adopted this with great success. He was about to solve Lagos’s electricity crisis by launching the Independent Power Project in collaboration with Enron. There would be no electricity problem in Lagos state today if Obasanjo and the PDP government had not forced him to give up the power to the national grid.

“Bola Tinubu was the first governor to bring Nigerians from other states to work and become officials in the Lagos state government; he was the first and last governor to govern his state for years without receiving the full Federal Allocation from Abuja.” He innovated education by appointing pupils who excelled academically as Acting Governors of Lagos,” Onoh recalled.

On the issue of the APC Presidential candidate’s age and fitness for office, Onoh said it was absurd that inexperienced youths participating in politics for the first time were the propagandists.

“My position on the issue of age is straightforward: Ronald Regan was not a young man when he ran for President of the United States of America, and yet he remains one of the greatest US presidents.” When asked if he is too old to be President at the age of 73 during the 1984 presidential debates, Ronald Reagan replied, ‘I will not make age an issue of this campaign.’ I am not going to exploit my opponent’s youth and inexperience for political purposes,’ so Asiwaju and his supporters will not make age or religion a campaign issue.”

Onoh stated that when the Southern Governors met and decided to produce a southerner as the next president, they were not concerned with whether such a president would come from the PDP or the APC, or whether he would be a Christian or a Muslim, emphasizing that the decision was made in the best interests of Nigeria.

He stated that if the governors had zoned the presidency to the north, he would have supported the PDP presidential candidate from Adamawa state, but because Tinubu has emerged in accordance with the position of the southern governors, he is bound to follow the wishes of the southern Nigeria leaders. As a result, he urged all Southern Governors to stick to their decision and support Bola Tinubu, who is from the southern part of Nigeria, in order to make good on their words.

“I have no problem with Atiku if it were zoned to the north, but I will not support an Atiku presidency because he was not part of the southern governors’ agreement.” We cannot say we want to be president and then turn around and accept the vice presidency. The issues raised by the southern governors for inclusive government are issues that every southerner should consider.

“We will only hold Asiwaju Tinubu accountable if he fails to deliver on the issues.” I admire Peter Obi and support his presidential campaign, but my issue with him is that he is always self-referential. Obi has not demonstrated the ability to delegate duties to anyone, according to Okey Ndibe. It’s always been “I Peter Obi did this,” “I Peter will do that.”

“I am still a member of the PDP, and I will vigorously defend the position of the southern governors in their meetings, particularly the one in Enugu.” The country’s situation does not necessitate playing along religious lines. Furthermore, Tinubu’s religious liberalism demonstrates his wealth of experience, but any Southern candidate who can deliver on the mandates of the southern governors is more important to me. This is not an anti-party issue, but rather one for the greater good of Nigeria.”

Onoh also thanked flutist musician Tee Mac for clarifying his previous statement about Tinubu, saying that Tee Mac’s clarification brought out the true man of honor in him.

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