According to a statement signed by former Senate President, Anyim Pius Anyim, he expressed pride in Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), for leaving the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to pursue his political ambitions in another party.
Both Anyim and Obi were presidential aspirants in the PDP. While Obi joined LP before the PDP presidential primary in May, Anyim contested the primary in the PDP and eventually lost to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
Anyim clarified that he was not part of the G5 caucus of the PDP, led by Rivers State governor Nyesom Wike. He explained that while in the PDP Presidential Primaries, he and Obi met with others from the South East and resolved to work together to ensure the zoning of the presidential position to the South East, and that whoever among them won the ticket would be supported by the others.
When the zoning failed, Peter Obi withdrew and joined the Labour Party, while Anyim continued to the end. Anyim expressed pride in Obi for doing what he could not do and noted that he believed Obi had become a factor in the political equation of the 2023 presidential election.
Anyim praised Obi’s ability to bring the Labour Party from obscurity to a position of relevance, stating that it was a significant contribution to the country’s political development.
Anyim also stressed that he had never discussed with anyone who would win or lose in the presidential election, and he believed that God had already decided who would be the next president of Nigeria. He emphasized that he was still a card-carrying member of the PDP and that he was capable of speaking for himself.