••• Says Nigeria’s Presidency Neither A Retirement Loan Nor A Rehab
By John Ugo, Kamsi Anayo, Awka
The Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) and members of the Campaign Council on Tuesday met with traditional rulers, youth and women groups at separate town hall meetings in Awka the Anambra’ state capital.
Obi pleaded with them and all citizens across the nation to support the party’s desire, mission and project for a new Nigeria which he said is possible.
This is as the train of the party’s National campian Council of the Peter Obi/Ahmed Datti 2023 presidency mega rally berthed at the All Saints Cathedral field in Onitsha the commercial town of the state with a mammoth crowd of supporters who converged on the area in solidarity ahead of February 25th election.
Obi while addressing the monarchs drawn from the over 177 communities, students, and youth groups who gathered at the Government House Awka and Stanel event center, assured them that while a new Nigeria is possible it requires the collective resolve of all to rescue her from the hard grip of marauders holding her economy by the jugular.
He identified insecurity, mismanagement of country’s oil resources, poor educational funding and soaring umemployment rate as major challenges facing the nation.
He lamented that a nation of over 200 population still rely on consumption rather than production.
Mr. Peter Obi a former Governor of Anambra’ state pledged that if elected President of Nigeria he would lift the nation from the ruins of bad leadership and debris of poverty through guaranteed boost in agriculture, adequate security of every citizen irrespective of tribe and religion; improved educational system and effective management of the country’s wealth.
Obi also hit hard at his political opponents, saying that the Presidency of Nigeria is not a retirement loan for anybody.
Obi stressed that he owed no one any apologies for being stingy.
He said that he and his running mate Senator Ahmed Datti remain the youngest, most credible and qualified to be President and Vice President among the four major contending candidates jostling the number one seat in Aso Rock .
Recall that the duo of Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party PDP and Sen Ahmed Bola Tinubu had described Obi as a stingy person which according to them is not what the country needs.
He said, “This is not about turn by turn but about capacity and if it is about turn, people like us would insist that it is our turn and should be considered.
“The job of a President is not a retirement loan or for any kind of settlement but about uniting and rebuilding the country.
“They said that I am a stingy man and I say they didn’t say that I am extravagant or that I embezzled public funds only that I am stingy and I tell you the job and the Presidency of our country needs a stingy person.
“When you look at me and my running mate you would discover that we are young compared to the other candidates who are older and our National Chairman is in his fifties but the National chairman of the other candidates are about seventy or over that.
“When you talk about qualification , I am the most qualified and the youngest among them and this is not a job for rehabilitation of people because Nigeria needs a strong and vibrant person as President and one that is in tune with the trending and modern style of leadership so that our country would be counted among the committee of great Nations in the world ” he said.
While fielding questions from students during the Town Hall meeting held at Stanel Event Center Awka with the youth groups Obi pointed out that the issue of industrial action or strike by University lecturers would be tackled under his administration.
He stated that the revenue from Petroleum which people are sharing is about the sum the lecturers are demanding for.
“Why would our Universities be on strike ? There is no justification for that because people are interested in stealing and sharing oil money and they are not producing anything. And come to think of it , the money that they are stealing is about the amount that can be used to fix our Universities and educational system”
Obi stressed that his running mate Sen Yusuf Datti has two internationally recognized universities that are functional saying if a private university can be functional and well funded there is no reason whatsoever for the universities owned by the country not to be functional.
In his brief remarks, Igwe Sunday Okafor of Okpuno community commended the LP Presidential candidate for his elaborate speech on the myriads of problems confronting the polity and proferred solutions if elected into office.
He lamented that those who had been President of the country prefer going for treatment abroad, adding that the cost of medical trip abroad has been a drain on the funds of the country.
He said Nigerians do not need such kind of President.
The monarch prayed to God to chose who would be the next President of the country.
He also expressed the wishes of the traditional rulers that God would chose Obi come February 25th general election.
