Peter Obi, the unsuccessful presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the last election, suffered another public humiliation at the Bayelsa State airport where his attempt to exchange pleasantries with the PDP candidate and his erstwhile boss, Atiku Abubakar, was rebuffed by the former Vice President.
Atiku was on a two-day working visit to the state partly to attend the commendation service of the father of Duoye Diri, the Bayelsa State governor. The event became a gathering of PDP leaders, a group to which Obi belonged before his foray into the Labour Party.
His exit from the party nevertheless, Obi graced the occasion and wanted a moment with his former principal Atiku at the airport but the former Vice President refused to acknowledge his greetings and remained seated in his vehicle as a visibly disappointed Obi scurried away.
Atiku snubs Mr. Peter Obi while in his car, Okwute left very disappointed ☹️ pic.twitter.com/DIsaz2C1Nj
— David Offor (@DavidsOffor) May 6, 2023
Sources close to the Vice President described the event as an expression of Atiku’s displeasure at Obi whom he holds responsible for his defeat in the last election, having divided the PDP’s traditional voter base and consequently presented APC’s Bola Tinubu a clear path to the trophy.
Indeed, analysts have long maintained that the divided state of the PDP, particularly with the insurgence of Obi who was introduced to the nation by Atiku as his running mate in 2019, was a strong factor in the victory of the APC. Had Obi remained in the PDP, Atiku may have been able to shore up his losses in the North with victories in the south-east which Obi won as the Labour Party candidate in a landslide.
One of the sources told this publication, “Atiku regrets showing Obi the ropes and providing him with a platform upon which he was able to gain national recognition. Until Atiku stuck with him in 2019 and showed him the intricacies of national politics, he was a struggling former governor who couldn’t assert any influence in his home state of Anambra.”
“He never won any local election and many candidates in the state knew that an endorsement from Obi was a surefire sign of defeat because the man lacked any meaningful sway. To take that knowledge and use the same to upend your principal and ruin what may be his final shot at the presidency is a horrible betrayal and Atiku cannot forgive him for this.”
Obi is said to be seeking reconciliation with Atiku to portray the image of a “united opposition” as hearing of the legal challenge brought by both parties against APC’s victory is expected to commence soon. The former Anambra governor has reportedly admitted his growing weakness as an opposition vanguard given recent leaks and developments that dented his image and strengthened allegations of bigotry.
His humiliation in Bayelsa is only the latest airport mishap suffered by Obi in the last couple of weeks as he was also hounded by British authorities at the London Heathrow airport where he was questioned for hours over possible involvement in criminal activities.