The former Governor has now been rewarded with an appointment as minister of the Federal Capital Territory.

“I know that he [Obi] won’t win the election. Let me tell you the truth, I am a realist. For me, the way the election went, it was a tough election. I give it to INEC,” he said.

“Yes, as a young man, people would have preferred that he won but look at how the votes went.

“There is this generational change, the young people were tired. So, for them, the only hope they had was to vote for Obi as a younger person compared to other candidates.

“But unknown to them, that is not the reality of Nigerian politics. They didn’t take into cognisance that ethnicity is a factor.

“They didn’t take into cognisance that religion is a factor, not only competence; that is the reality of Nigerian politics.”