Dino Melaye says Peter Obi is a regional champion and can never be president

Former Kogi West senator Dino Melaye has thrown a heavy jab at Labour Party's 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi, saying he can never be Nigeria's president because he is a regional champion. Speaking on the KAA Truths podcast on Thursday, Melaye insisted that only a nationalist can lead this country, and in his assessment, Obi does not qualify.

Melaye, who is now backing the African Democratic Congress candidate Atiku Abubakar, said: "Atiku is a nationalist. Obi is a regional champion. It may sound awkward. It may sound offensive but Obi is a good man and he's my friend. I have respect for him but he's a regional champion and no regional champion in this country will ever be president." He even cited the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo as an example, describing him as brilliant but noting that he could only win convincingly in the Southwest because he was not a nationalist in that regard.

This is a bold statement from someone who once stood with Obi's camp, and it will surely ruffle feathers. But let us be honest, is Dino Melaye not saying what many northern politicians privately believe? Or is this just political bitterness because Obi refused to step down for Atiku in 2027? Let's argue this.