Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has been criticised by Nigerians over his embarrassing U-turn on the subject of age appropriateness for elective positions, following the emergence of a 2019 video where he argued stridently that age had nothing to do with governance.
The divisive former Anambra State Governor who now hinges his candidature on the fact that he is younger than the other candidates of the two popular parties, was seen undermining the idea that a candidate had to be young to serve effectively in governance in an ARISE TV interview.
He cited the example of the 80-year old Governor of California, a state in the United States of America, who despite his age was acclaimed the best performing administrator in the country.
According to Obi, “the only thing I can tell you is that the issue of governance has nothing to do with age.”
Many have opined that the argument exposes the hypocrisy of his current position and reveals him as a flimflammer with no fidelity to any clear principles.
They wonder why he has made a fuss about the age of his opponents in the election cycle, less than four years after he argued passionately against such primitive contestations, and the importance of experience and calmness older actors can bring to politics and leadership.
It isn’t the first time Obi’s present posturing has been undermined by a blast from the past. Although his campaign has harped on national unity and togetherness, as Governor of Anambra, he pursued several divisive policies, including the controversial deportation of northerners and an insistence that only members of the Catholic faith be allowed to hold public leadership positions.