Amobi Ogah, a House of Representatives member representing Isuikwuato/Umunneochi Federal Constituency in the 10th assembly has implored the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, as well as other parties’ candidates, to rally round President Bola Tinubu.
Ogah, an LP lawmaker, represents made the appeal while speaking with reporters in Abuja, in a video clip broadcasted by Channels TV.
Indirectly advising Obi and other who lost in the general elections, Ogah said, “Once you are in this politics, don’t lose hope. Don’t think that if you don’t win today, you will not win again. And once somebody has won an election, to be a good sportsman, you must give the person support,” Mr Ogah said.
It was observed that the lawmaker did not mention any name, many are of the opinion that believe he was specifically referring to the presidential candidate of his party, Mr. Peter Obi, who came third in the election losing to Tinubu, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
According to Ogah, Tinubu deserves to be respected and supported until the court delivers judgment against his election.
“For me, like I said earlier last week, that trended all over the world when I told the people, the election has come and gone. Now it is about governance. And whoever God has given that mandate to represent the people, you must respect that institution.
“And that is why I always say, whoever that is on that seat, give the person that support until either court says otherwise or God says otherwise.
“We must put Nigeria first. Nigeria is more important than anybody. It is more important than me. I can tell you it is only God that gives power.”
This is not the first time Mr Ogah would openly drum support for Tinubu.
Recall the lawmaker, on 8 June, hailed Tinubu for his intelligence and high-level of preparedness for the presidency job after he and other members-elect of the 10th National Assembly met with the president at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Speaking after the meeting, Ogah said, “Today is my best day. Today, I’m so happy that I am an elected member seeing my president talking. In fact, I’ve never known that this man is so intelligent,” Mr Ogah had said of Mr Tinubu.
“We have agreed that we are going towards a government decision, not minding I am of the Labour Party. Now the party is not the issue. We are talking about building Nigeria” he added.
The national leadership of the LP would later kick against Mr Ogah’s comments, saying the party has a contrary view to what the lawmaker said.
“As an individual, he does not have the mandate to speak for the party and therefore cannot claim to be standing on the platform of the Labour Party to do the same, giving views that are diametrically opposed to what the Labour party stands for,” the party said in a statement by its national spokesperson, Obiorah Ifoh.
The statement, however, claimed that the lawmaker had apologised to the party for the comments.
