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Peter Obi’s Election Loss Proved Soludo Right; Igbos Alone Can’t Produce President – Umahi
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The presidential election held on Saturday, February 25, 2023.
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Peter Obi lost the election, finishing in third place according to electoral officials.
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Soludo had predicted his loss months before the election.
Eko Hot Blog reports that Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi, says Igbos in the southeastern part of the country must work with other geopolitical zones to win the presidency.
He was reacting to the loss of Peter Obi, the Labour Party (LP) candidate for president, in the recently concluded election.
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Obi won convincingly in all five south-east states: Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo, but fell short of winning the election, finishing third overall despite winning more than six million votes nationwide.
Speaking on Monday at the Ebonyi International Airport, Umahi said although Obi surpassed expectations in the election, he would have won if he had the support of northern states where he heavily underperformed.
Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi
The Ebonyi governor noted that Obi’s ultimate loss proved that Anambra State Governor, Charles Soludo, was right when he predicted the outcome.
In a lengthy letter released in November 2022, Soludo said “there is no credible pathway for him near the first two positions”, adding that Obi knows he can’t become president.
Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo
The Anambra governor was heavily criticised in the wake of the comments, especially from south-east groups and stakeholders.
“Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra harped on this fact and was crucified but his words have come to pass,” Umahi said.
“The wise thing for the Igbos to do is to tell themselves the truth that we alone cannot make ourselves president.
“We have to work with other tribes as the south west did with the north and have succeeded.
“We have to stop being parochial and clannish… as who could have believed that Obi was talking with me up till the last minute.
“He was also talking with other governors even those from the north.”
Soludo had predicted that Obi would help Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) win the election by pulling votes from Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The Anambra governor’s prediction came true as Obi overwhelmingly won in states that traditionally voted for the PDP, thereby splitting the opposition votes.
FURTHER READING
Tinubu won the presidential election with just over eight million votes, performing well in northern states, while Obi and Atiku received less than 7 million votes.
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