He explained that the region’s collective decision during the 2023 presidential elections almost backfired due to strategic miscalculations.
According to Odeh, in September 2022, leaders, youths, and stakeholders from across the Middle Belt gathered in Jos, Plateau State, the meeting was the first time in Nigeria’s history that the entire region came together to endorse a single presidential candidate and Peter Obi was chosen as the Middle Belt’s preferred candidate for the 2023 elections.
Odeh described the gathering as bold and unprecedented, it showed the Middle Belt’s willingness to act as a united political force and to influence national politics.
However, he said the decision did not produce the expected results, he said Obi failed to fully play the role of a standard bearer who could translate the Middle Belt’s support into a decisive outcome, as a result, the region suffered a major setback after Obi lost the election.
Odeh noted that the Middle Belt’s choice nearly shut the region out of national political relevance, he described it as a warning about the risks of one-sided political strategies that do not protect regional interests.
"In 2023, the Middle Belt was boldly captured but, unfortunately, the politics of one way we played, almost locked us out.
If you remember, in September 2022, the entire Middle Belt fearlessly for the first time in history of Nigerian politics, converged in Jos, Plateau State capital, to endorsed Peter Obi as our choice candidate for the 2023 Presidential race, and Obi was defeated because he did not play his role as a standard bearer," he said.
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