Peter Obi’s fringe ‘third force’ party has been hollowed out in Zamfara State following the departure of its Deputy Governorship and other NASS candidates. The defectors left for the APC and attributed their exit to the Labour Party’s unpopularity in the state and the northern region.
The list of defectors include Alhaji Sule Dansadau, the deputy governorship candidate; Yahaya Audi Mafara, Zamfara West senatorial candidate; Alhaji Sani Yusuf Danmasami, Zamfara Central senatorial candidate; and Engr. Adamu Yakubu, Zamfara North senatorial candidate.
Their exit underscores the growing reality of Labour Party’s poor acceptance and lack of presence across the country, particularly in Nigeria’s vast rural communities where the majority of votes are cast.
It also represents a far more credible verdict on Labour Party’s chances, which remains poor, unlike shoddy polls that present the opinions of a tiny fraction of the electorates as representative of the entire country.
Obi has suffered similar abandonment by party stalwarts and local candidates across the country, a factor likely to further weaken his chances given the widely-acknowledged critical roles of down-ballot candidates who serve as local mobilizers for the party in the interirors and wards.