A People’s Democratic Party Chieftain has defended the practice of regional political support while stating that both the Southeast and Southwest has the same voting patterns in demonstrating similar loyalty to their political leaders.
Showunmi speaking in an interview with Arise TV referenced the Southeast’s overwhelming support for Peter Obi in the 2023 presidential election to justify regional political solidarity. “You did your election in the Southeast, and you gave your son 99% of the votes. Shall I leave my own brother in the lurch?” Showunmi asked. “It’s okay when some people support their man, and then when we support ours, we’re bigots. Does that even make sense?”
The PDP chieftain suggested he would respond positively if President Tinubu directly sought his support, comparing this to the natural political dynamics across Nigeria’s regions. “I had actually thought that the President was going to say, ‘Okay, my son or my junior brother, whichever he decides to use, Segun, I’m done with this; your roaming around with other people, I need your support, come back.’ I would not have been able to say no,” Showunmi stated. “We don’t have that kind of culture; just like you guys (Southeasterners) don’t have that kind of culture, too.”
Showunmi expressed significant frustration with Obi’s current political strategy, revealing previous conversations between him and Obi. “My greatest disappointment as we’re getting ready for 2027 is actually Peter Obi,” he declared. “The reason is that I had hoped, in all of his seriousness, but I know how we started that thing that Peter will understand that we can move and challenge the status quo. Not the way he’s been doing it all by himself right now.”
The PDP leader revealed he had given Obi a specific deadline to clarify his political direction. “I’ve told him many months before now that, ‘Look, if your mind is not made up by May 29th this year on what you want to do, I’m going to be more inclined to support Asiwaju. I was hoping that we could do that just to be able to take the outcome. Even if it is defeat, we’ll say we gave you the best push, and we shattered the glass ceilings and united the country, because there’s no glass ceiling on top of the Southeast,” he explained.
He noted how he warned Obi against squandering the political capital gained from his strong 2023 performance by joining a coalition of old elites who have been in power. “I said Peter, the benefits that we have done now by integrating you as someone that can be a leader of the Ndigbo political force and in a pan-Nigerian environment, I do not think you should throw it away,” Showunmi stated. “But it’s your call if you want to do that or this coalition and sitting down with same of same and thinking that you’re bringing a new order.”
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