The governorship candidate of the Labour Party in Oyo State, Tawfiq Akinwale, stated that the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, asked popular economist, Prof. Pat Utomi, to step down for the presidential candidate of the LP in the February 25, 2023 polls, Peter Obi.
He was a guest on a radio programme on 101.7 YES FM, Ibadan, Oyo State, alleging that Obi received Tinubu’s funding.
Akinwale, who spoke in Yoruba language and announced his exit from the Labour Party, said: “In the buildup to the 2023 elections, Obi, who had purchased the nomination form of the Peoples Democratic Party, suddenly announced his exit from the party.
“Initially, Pat Utomi had secured the LP’s presidential ticket, but when Peter Obi said he resigned from the PDP and joined the LP, Bola Tinubu, a master political strategist, quickly told Utomi, that everyone knows to be his son, to step down for Obi.
“The ‘president-elect’ saw in Obi’s presidential bid a good chance to reduce the winning chances of the presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar.
“What Peter Obi didn’t know is much more than what he knows.
“He started collecting campaign funds from Utomi, while Tinubu was giving the money to Utomi.
“This went on until Obi’s presidential campaign got to a stage it went beyond target.
“Obi was used without him knowing.”
