When the race for the 2023 presidential election began, not a few aspirants gave the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, (LP) Mr. Peter Obi, a chance. However, all that has changed as the former Anambra State governor is sending jitters down the spines of the ruling party All Progressives Congress (APC), and the major opposition People Democratic Party (PDP).

Those knowledgeable with happenings in the country’s political terrain said Obi has become a factor in the race to who succeeds President Muhammadu Buhari, when the latter’s tenure expires May 29, 2023.

A competent source, who confided with Sunday Telegraph, said the youth who form 75 per cent of the country’s population are gravitating towards “Peter Obi’s candidacy and this is really giving the major parties a lot of concern.”

Our source said: “Obi is now a factor in the race as his popularity is on the rise. He is learning the rope as the day goes by. However, major opposition now is that they see him as a candidate for the South East.

This is where he needs to shrug off that tag and prove that he is not a candidate for the East alone. “He is only popular among the youths but he has also been moving out to sell his candidacy to all and sundry, especially those who believe that the ruling party and the opposition have nothing new to offer. That is why he visited the Afenifere leader, Chief Ayo Adebanjo; former president Olusegun Obasanjo and some religious leaders.”

Also, another source said that the Obi factor no longer makes him the weaker candidate others touted him to be. The source said: “The strength of his candidacy is the youth, which forms the larger percentage of the population and most of them are gravitating towards his candidacy, to the neglect of other candidates.

“He will still have to square it up with the APC and the PDP candidates in the persons of Bola Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar, respectively. It is still a long time to the election as we have about five months to the election in 2023. “Obi would diminish the fortunes of both parties or diminish the fortune of one for the other.

Take for instance the South East, Obi would split the votes of the traditional PDP and that would affect the outcome of the results and if you get to the South South, due to the current imbroglio between Governor Nyesom Wike and Atiku Abubakar, this may also affect the fortune of the party.

“Obi may be hard to sell to the traditional North, but not so for the resurgence made up of youths who are also favourably disposed to his candidacy. Remember, also that he was a running mate to Atiku in 2019.”

Our sources may not be wrong. It would be recalled that Obi was a major topic of discussion in far-away London last week. There former President Olusegun Obasanjo met with Governors Wike, Samuel Ortom of Benue State, Seyi Makinde of Oyo, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State and former governor Donald Duke of Cross River State. Also, the presidential candidates of the big two – Tinubu and Atiku, met with them separately.

At the meeting, Obasanjo pushed for them to support Obi. Although, what the discussion centered on was not made public, Wike and Ortom on return said that their discussions were about Nigeria and how to steer the country away from the precipice.(Sunday Telegraph:Text, excluding headline)