TheCable

Osita Okechukwu, director-general of Voice of Nigeria (VON), says the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has “gone to bed” and is no longer a threat to All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2023 presidential election.

The APC founding member spoke on Monday in a chat with ARISE TV.

The PDP has been in crisis since Atiku Abubakar, former vice-president was elected as the presidential candidate of the major opposition party.

The rift deepened after Abubakar selected Ifeanyi Okowa, Delta governor, as his running mate, despite Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers, being the choice of some members of the party’s national working committee (NWC).

Last week, the crisis worsened when Wike’s allies jettisoned campaign responsibilities, and insisted that Iyorchia Ayu, the party’s national chairman, must be removed.

Several political stakeholders, including the campaign organisation of Bola Tinubu of the APC, have said the crisis within the PDP will have a significant effect on the party’s chances in the 2023 elections.

Adding his voice to the debate, Okechukwu said PDP has “gone to bed and found itself down the hill”.

He, however, added that Peter Obi, Labour Party’s candidate, is a bigger threat to APC and the party “must be afraid” of him.

“The most important thing we should all work towards is how to win the election. [We can’t] simply go to sleep because we are incumbent. We must be afraid of some other forces, especially the ‘Obidient’ movement,” Okechukwu said.

“Luckily for us, the PDP has also gone to bed and has found themselves down the hill. Consequently, we are no more afraid as we were of them.”