"Except the PDP and Labour can reach an agreement in the next 24hrs on how to collaborate to win the elections, any vote for Peter Obi is a vote for Bola Tinubu. PDP and Labour need each other. It is that simple."
The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Dumebi Kachikwu, has called on the presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party, Peter Obi to work with small parties to stop the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu.
Mr Kachikwu, in a statement issued on Thursday and titled: "My Closing Argument", said there is no path to victory for him but that the two leading candidates must collaborate within 24 hours to stop Mr Tinubu from winning Saturday's election.
The election scheduled for Saturday has about 18 presidential candidates, however, many believe the race is between Messrs Obi, Atiku and Tinubu.
Mr Obi, who served as running mate to Atiku in 2019, decamped to LP in 2022 shortly before the PDP primaries.
While calling for collaboration, Mr Kachikwu noted that the three leading candidates are flawed but they are the available options to Nigerians. In the case of Mr Obi, he noted that the former Anambra State governor was wrong to be visiting churches.
"The Labour Candidate took campaigns to a new low with his church visitations. Have you ever imagined what would happen to our country if Atiku Abubakar and Bola Tinubu made similar visits to mosques," he said.
He stated that Messrs Tinubu and Atiku have baggage of corruption allegations hanging around their necks.
Mr Kachikwu noted that despite the flaw in the candidates, there is a need to consider the state of affairs in Nigeria, a situation he described as second to the civil war of the 60s.
Mr Kachikwu therefore said Messrs Obi and Atiku must work together not to reward the APC. He noted that none of the candidates can win alone, noting that a vote for LP is for the ruling party.
He added that "we must accept the reality that except Northern Nigeria miraculously comes together in the next 24hrs to throw their support for the PDP candidate, the race looks likely to favour the APC candidate.
"Except the PDP and Labour can reach an agreement in the next 24hrs on how to collaborate to win the elections, any vote for Peter Obi is a vote for Bola Tinubu. PDP and Labour need each other. It is that simple. As true democrats, the leadership of both PDP and Labour must find a way to work with the other smaller parties towards building a formidable coalition that ensures the contest is even.
"Any attempt to go this alone guarantees another four years for the APC," he said.
Mr Kachikwu stated that the naira policy and the scarcity that followed it favours the ruling party.
"Outside of the Nigerian Civil War, the last eight years under the APC Government has been the toughest period ever for Nigerians since Independence. As President Buhari prepares to hand over, he is unleashing more pain and misery on Nigerians with the misguided recolouring of the Naira.
"He and his advisers believe that this would limit the undue advantage that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has with a huge war chest to buy over voters. What they have inadvertently done is make it easier for the APC candidate as millions of voters will be unable to exercise their democratic franchise because of cash constraints. Most of those affected by this will be the Labour Party supporters.
"The odds, therefore, favour the APC Government to continue in power. How you might ask? It is very simple. The APC structure that brought in Buhari eight years ago still brought him back four years ago even though most Nigerians were united in saying he wouldn't come back," he said.
Igbo presidency -- Kachikwu
Mr Kachikwu did not give details as to how the collaboration will work. He, however, expressed support for the agitation for a president of Igbo extraction.
He blamed the inability of the region to produce an elected head of state since 1960 on the leaders of the region, noting that the leaders of the region often focus on themselves.
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"I subscribe to the argument that the Igbos have not had a fair shake in the Nigerian nation, most of the blame for this must go to our leaders who mostly subscribe to self and family as against building their states or region. They failed to capitalise on the entrepreneurial spirit of the Igbo man to create an industrial powerhouse in the South-east that would provide millions of jobs and shared prosperity for our people.
"Today the economy of the South-east is in ruins, our people live in fear and our leaders have relocated to Abuja and Lagos.
"When leaders are afraid to defy evil, what do we expect to happen to our communities? We all saw what happened in North-east Nigeria because their leaders failed to stand up to Boko Haram and we now see the same thing in South-eastern Nigeria," he said.
Mr Kachikwu also spoke on his travails in ADC, where the National Working Committee (NWC) of his party expelled him.
He alleged that he was sold out by some persons within the party.
