Labour Party candidate in the 2023 presidential election, Mr. Peter Obi, has reemphasised that he is not interested in any coalition merely for the purpose of grabbing power. Lamenting that the coalition in Nigeria politics has been basically for power grabbing, the former Anambra State Governor wondered why politicians couldn’t care less if the country collapsed so long as they are able to grab political power.
Obi, who spoke on Monday – earlier today, January 27 – in Abuja, the FCT, on the sidelines of a National Conference on Strengthening Democracy in Nigeria under the theme, ‘Strengthening Nigeria’s Democracy: Pathways to Good Governance and Political Integrity’, lamented that democracy has completely collapsed in the country, the effects of such collapse evident in the widespread poverty in Nigeria and endangered future of Nigerian children.
Urging Nigerians not to allow democracy to die in the country but to get involved in the effort to save and strengthen it, Obi said: “We have seen that whatever happens in democracy affects the citizens. It affects their daily living and the future of their children. So, we must all now get involved to make it because we know that it’s not working in Nigeria.”
On the touted ‘mother of all coalitions’ in the offing, the former Anambra Governor replied: “For me, what is important is about the country. We must talk about the future of Nigeria. We abandoned the country and all we talk about now is power grabbing.
“I am not interested in any coalition for the purpose of taking power. It is about discussing Nigeria, how we care about securing Nigeria, care about the common people in the country and their education. That is the most important thing in Nigeria for now.
“The conversation has been on for a long time. It is now time for us to take action because you can see where it brought us to. We now live in an insecure country. We now live in a country that is everyday breeding poverty. People are suffering. So many people don’t know where the next meal will come from,” he lamented.
He also frowned at the increasing cases of monetisation of politics, stressing: “That is what we need to remove, because what you are doing is that you are encouraging stealing of public money. Because if I steal it and use it to win an election, then I get all the power and everything, including immunity not to be prosecuted. So we must stop it. That is what is driving the stealing.”
On the biggest takeaway from the Ghanaian experience where the former Vice President and candidate conceded defeat, Obi said: “It is about the will of the people. People must be in charge. It is about serving the people, and that is most critical.”
