The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Mr. Peter Obi

  • Obi enters coalition of chaos, says Lagos APC

    Obi enters coalition of chaos, says Lagos APC

    Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) says it views the formal defection of Mr. Peter Obi to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as the long-awaited unveiling of a contraption deliberately assembled to undermine Nigeria.

    ‘’What has occurred is not political evolution; it is the public activation of a coalition forged in grievance, sustained by falsehood and animated by an unhealthy appetite for national dislocation,’’ the party added.

    Spokesman Seye Oladejo in a statement in Ogba, said: ‘’We congratulate the ADC that Mr. Peter Obi eventually yielded to their prolonged plea -or is it their instruction – to come on board. Either way, the pretence of independence has now been formally abandoned. The choice of venue for this declaration is also not lost on discerning, pan-Nigerian electorate who understand political coding and symbolism. Nothing about this exercise was accidental; everything was calculated.

    ‘’It is now abundantly clear that a predictable opposition can neither thrive nor have a meaningful place in a vibrant democracy. Long before this moment, even a political neophyte knew that Mr. Obi would not contest elections twice on the platform of the same political party – judging by his well-documented record of political promiscuity. ‘’His latest move merely confirms a pattern of convenience politics masquerading as principle.

    ‘’Let us be clear: ADC has not discovered ideology overnight. It has merely confirmed its true identity as a political scrapyard where rejected ambitions, electoral failures and serial aspirants converge to rehearse recycled anger. This is not a coalition of ideas; it is a cartel of convenience. It is not about Nigeria; it is about power without responsibility.

    Read Also: APC pledges renewed commitment to Nigerians

    ‘’Obi’s entry seals what Nigerians already knew. This so-called coalition was conceived with a sole beneficiary in mind – process be damned, zoning suspended, internal democracy euthanised. The loud pretence of moral purity has collapsed under the weight of naked ambition. The hypocrisy is now official.

    ‘’Indeed, Nigerians cannot but wonder when Obi will summon the courage to inform his handful of sympathisers that he has already agreed in principle to serve as a running mate to a pre-determined, perennial presidential candidate – a political factory-reset decision taken even before the coalition’s public unveiling. In this arrangement, consultation is cosmetic, participation is decorative and ambition is centrally-allocated.

    ‘’More worrisome still is the tragic symbolism with which Obi chose to end the year – by returning to the very political ecosystem he often described as a nest of criminality and corruption. Having built a brand on performative moral outrage, he has now openly embraced the same characters and structures he once condemned with evangelical fervour. History, it appears, is repeating itself: Peter Obi, like the first Peter, continues to betray the people – not under pressure, not under duress, but out of calculated self-interest. Nigerians must therefore take note: a man who can so conveniently return to his vomit, without remorse or even a whimper, cannot be trusted with the destiny of a nation. Those who choose to place their hopes in such political inconsistency do so at their own peril.

    ‘’More troubling – and Nigerians must not look away – is the shameful refusal of the principal actors in this coalition of confusion to unequivocally condemn terrorism and its many murderous offshoots. This silence is deliberate. It is a cowardly calculation designed to avoid upsetting home-based sympathies and regional comfort zones. Any political formation that cannot clearly denounce the slaughter of innocent Nigerians, for fear of losing sectional applause, has forfeited the moral right to seek national leadership. Silence in the face of terror is not neutrality; it is complicity.

    ‘’While this coalition sharpens propaganda as weapons against the Nigerian state, the APC-led Federal Government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is confronting hard truths – stabilising the economy, dismantling criminal networks, restoring investors’ confidence and rebuilding institutions weakened by years of reckless governance. One side traffics in noise, sabotage, and wishful failure; the other delivers governance.

    ‘’This explains the coalition’s obsession with exaggeration, misinformation and international pity-seeking. With no record of transformative leadership to present, chaos becomes their campaign strategy. Hardship is weaponised. National challenges are converted into talking points. They pray for failure because they have nothing credible to offer.

    ‘’Nigerians have seen this script before -and they will reject it again. No amount of political make-up, hurried alliances, or sanctimonious sermons can disguise the emptiness of this project. Democracy is not strengthened by desperation, nor is nationhood built by those who wish the country ill merely to validate their personal ambition.

    ‘’Lagos APC assures Nigerians that the Renewed Hope Agenda remains irreversible. The coming together of political weapons fashioned against Nigeria will fail spectacularly.

    ‘’At the polls, Nigerians will once again rise above deception and decisively reject their nemesis.

    ‘’The future belongs to builders, not professional complainers; to patriots, not political tourists; to courage, not cowardly silence in the face of terror.’’

  • 2027: One term enough for any leader to make impact – Obi

    2027: One term enough for any leader to make impact – Obi

    The presidential candidate of Labour Party in the 2023 election, Mr. Peter Obi, says a four-year single term is enough for any serious and sincere leader to make impact in Nigeria.

    Obi, in a statement issue by the Spokesman of Peter Obi Media Reports, Ibrahim Umar, on Monday in Abuja, also said that a single term of four years, particularly in 2027, would respect zoning and stabilise the polity.

    “One term is enough to establish that good governance is possible, and if they can impact negatively on us for just two years, why won’t someone achieve a lot in four years?

    “It’s also to respect the gentleman’s agreement of zoning, which has been a stabilising factor, even though it’s not in our constitution.

    “I don’t need a day more than four years. I will show the direction of good governance.

    “Two years can change it in a good direction. People want to get up and see a president who cares and shows compassion,” he said.

    Obi, who reiterated his determination to run for the presidency again in 2027, said that he was qualified for the office.

    “I’m going to contest for the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and I believe I am qualified for it,” he said.

    On the possibility of his becoming a running mate to former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar in the 2027 election, Obi said: “This is not in play; nobody has ever discussed that.

    Read Also: I’m still in Labour Party, says Obi

    “People assume so many things. Nobody has ever discussed with me whether I am going to be A, B or C.”

    He also dispelled the speculations that he had left Labour Party, following his open support for the coalition which had adopted African Democratic Congress (ADC).

    Speaking on coalition with persons known to have played key roles in previous administrations, Obi explained that their experience was key to preventing the government he intends to form from failing.

    “Their experience is critical. I can tell you one of the major companies in the world hired two people who had worked in failed companies because they can tell you why they failed.

    “You need the experience of those who have failed and those who have succeeded in moving on, and I need everyone.

    “It is a critical experience because they know what can fail a system and they know what was wrong with the system,” he said.

    (NAN)

  • Don’t turn Niger Delta into a battle-field, Obi warns

    The Vice-Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Peter Obi has cautioned political actors against instigating crisis in some parts of Nigeria for their own selfish political gains.

    He particularly expressed worry over the impending crises in the Niger Delta region, warning against turning the area into a battleground.

    Fielding questions from journalists at Asaba airport on Wednesday, Obi decried the region’s several years of neglect, insisting that it deserved universal respect due to its critical role in the production of wealth of the nation.

    “Those in government should be seeking ways of improving the living conditions of the people whose means of livelihood have been destroyed by oil exploration and exploitation activities, and not trying to turn the area into a battle-ground,” he said.

    He warned that the country already had a number of States in crisis, which has proved extremely difficult for security agents to contain.

    “The nation may get to breaking point if more states are drawn into mindless crises instigated by some political actors at the helm of the nation’s affairs,” he added.

    Read also: Police tighten security ahead of governorship polls

    Recalling the pacifist approach of the then President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua to the zone as its golden period, Obi advised political actors to toe that line towards securing the nation’s wealth and boost the welfare of the people of the area.

    The former governor of Anambra State commended the governors of Niger Delta zone for remaining faithful to the delivery of democracy dividends to their people.

    He continued, “I travel all over the country and I can tell you that Governors of that zone are among the best-performing in the country and all deserve a second term to continue their good work.

    “It is known that APC-governed State has recorded the kind of progress their Niger Delta counterparts have achieved.

    “Take a trip to Awka Ibom and see what Governor Emmanuel Udom is doing. The same goes for Governors Nyesom Wike in Rivers; Seriaki Dickson in Bayelsa; Ifeanyi Okowa in Delta State and Ben Ayade in Cross River.

    “I use the Asaba Airport often and when I interact with the people, they declare that ‘Governor Okowa dey work and we dey see am’.

    “It is also amazing that those Governors are delivering democracy dividends despite the distractions instigated by some actors in the APC.”

    On the APC’s boast to “take over” Niger Delta States, particularly Delta and Akwa Ibom, Obi cautioned the party to pursue her dream through securing lawful votes, which he believed was unattainable.

    “The APC should not adopt the abracadabra style they performed during the Presidential and National Assembly elections,” he stressed.

  • PDP accuses APC of ‘fabrication’ against Atiku, Obi

    The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of fabricating spurious publications against its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar and his running mate, Mr. Peter Obi.

    The party insisted that its presidential flag bearers have been well-received by Nigerians across board, contrary to what it described as spurious publications.

    A statement Wednesday by the spokesman for the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party further knocked the APC and the Presidency for alleged smear campaign against the PDP candidates.

    Read Also:2019: PDP chair restates doubts over INEC’s neutrality

    The statement said, “Having failed in their attempts to smear him with unfounded allegations, they have now resorted to attacking our vice presidential candidate and trying to create the impression that he is not well received in some parts of the country.

    “The PDP is already aware of how the APC has paid millions of naira to hack writers to spin negative narratives with a view to create an impression of disagreement and bad blood among our leaders and members across the northern and southern divides, who have since aligned with the Atiku/Obi ticket.

    “The PDP and majority of Nigerians are aware that the APC and the Muhammadu Buhari Presidency have been jittery since the emergence of Atiku Abubakar as our Presidential candidate, a disposition that heightened with the choice of Peter Obi as his running mate, hence their frenzy to cause confusion within our fold.

    “The PDP restates that the combination of Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, with their internationally acclaimed forthrightness, hard work, ingenuity and managerial competencies, guarantee a prudent and result-oriented administration that will liberate our nation from the economic shackles which the wasteful, incompetent, and deceptive APC administration has plunged our nation into.

    “Furthermore, the Buhari Presidency and APC’s unrelenting resort to fabrications and personal attacks against our candidates instead of presenting their claimed achievements and programmes to Nigerians, confirms that they have nothing to offer as they have been trending on false performance claims and propaganda.

    “On our own part, the PDP, as a Pan Nigerian and performance-oriented political party, will never descend to the shallows with the fading APC and the Buhari Presidency, but focus on how to salvage our nation from the economic hardship, acute hunger and starvation as well as the daily bloodletting that have become the order of the day under the President Buhari administration.

    “Nigerians have gone through enough pain and anguish under President Buhari and no amount of smear campaign and personal attack on our candidates will ever whittle their resolve to vote in Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi with their proven political will and commitment to the welfare of Nigerians”.

     

  • Obi wades through mud to reach school

    A former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi has advised students of Crowther Memorial College, Umuikwu Anam on the virtues of persistence and staying focused always even in times of great odds. He spoke during his visit to the school to which he presented a cheque of N1 million for development support.

    Obi revealed that he could have turned back when his vehicles were stuck in the mud, which needed much physical exertion to get them out. Using the experience as an illustration, the former Governor exhorted the students to remain focused in their positive endeavours and not allow any temporary set-backs to dampen their spirits.

    On the foundation for perseverance, Obi told the students that it lay in a solid education: ”Once you acquire education, it will equip you to become better in life. It will enable you to face the challenges of life fully confident in yourself. If not for my education, I would not have reached the level of success I have attained today in both the financial and administrative worlds,” he said.

    Responding to Obi’s gesture, the Anglican Bishop of Mbammili Diocese, Bishop Henry Okeke – in charge of the school – thanked God for using the types of Peter Obi to show humanity that all was not lost. He expressed gratitude to Obi for remembering their school as Governor and even years after leaving office. He noted that after his tenure as Governor, Obi had variously donated a bus as well as many cash gifts that have helped in the growth and development of the school and students.

    The Bishop, represented by his wife,  Mrs. Julie Okeke also recalled how Obi’s continued visits to them both as Governor and now has given the school, the students and the community a sense of belonging. She further observed that if Mr. Peter Obi could visit a school in far-away Garaku in Nassarawa State, where her husband has served previously, she knew that he had indeed adopted Nigeria as his constituency.

     

  • You can’t quell Biafra agitation with force, Obi warns FG

    You can’t quell Biafra agitation with force, Obi warns FG

    Former Anambra State Governor, Mr. Peter Obi, Thursday warned against the current approach adopted by the Federal Government in handling pro-Biafra agitations in the Southeast.

    Obi who spoke with journalists after a closed door meeting with the Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha at the Governor’s lodge in Owerri, the Imo State capital, insisted that the use of force or the continued incarceration of Biafra activists cannot quell the growing agitations.

    According to him, the Federal Government should continue to engage the players in continued dialogue as a means of finding a lasting solution to the challenges, particularly the issue of Biafra, which he said is given Igbo leaders serious concern.

    In his words, “I have warned against the use of force against Biafra agitators. The Federal Government should be open to continued dialogue, which is what we are supporting. That is why I am here today to thank Governor Rochas Okorocha for his efforts in managing the Biafra challenge”.

    He continued that, “our people won’t support the use of force against those agitating for Biafra; it is a very delicate matter that must be treated with caution. As a matter of fact, the FG should release all Biafra activists that are currently in detention to begin the process of meaningful dialogue”.

    Although details of the meeting were not made known to journalists, but The Nation gathered that it may not be unconnected with the plan by the former Governor to join the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    It was also suspected that the ex-Anambra Governor also came to perfect plans on how to assist the APC win the November 22 governorship election in Anambra State.

    Obi, who has been locked in a cold war with his successor, is said to be weighing the option of joining other Igbo leaders in the APC and helping the party win the governorship election will brighten his chances in the APC.

    But the former governor dismissed any plan to join the APC, “I am a member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and I am not dumping the party for any other party. So I am not joining the APC. I am here for a private visit that is all, nothing more”.

     

  • ‘Finishing Strong’… Uduaghan showcases roads, other infrastructure

    ‘Finishing Strong’… Uduaghan showcases roads, other infrastructure

    Delta State Governor Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, last week commenced a marathon project inauguration, ostensibly as part of his ‘Finishing Strong’ promise to the people of the state. the move was seen also as a strategy shore up support for the candidates of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in the forthcoming general election in the state.

    Speaking at TV phone-in programme last Friday, the governor explained that his decision to go on the ‘show-off’ was informed by the prevailing trend in Nigeria politics where only governors and public officeholders who ‘commission projects’ are deemed hardworking.

    “Normally, I believe that when a project is completed, it should be put to use. But some would not open classrooms to pupils until it has been commissioned,” he said at the programme, which was co-anchored by this reporter.

    It was against this backdrop that President Goodluck Jonathan, during his campaign/visit to the state inaugurated the multibillion naira, ultramodern Delta State Government House building in Asaba, the state capital. A visibly impressed President Jonathan remarked: ”I have being coming to Asaba, I have seen the Government House, the Presidential lodge and other places. Congratulations your Excellency, it is a great job and I commission it to the glory of God.”

    The President who observed that the administration of Governor Uduaghan has greatly transformed the state and improved the lives of Deltans, noted that it is one of best run states by a PDP-government and that would be used as reference point for the achievements of the PDP-led administration in the country.

    “Delta State is among the PDP states that the transformation agenda of my administration has touched and Governor Uduaghan wholeheartedly has keyed into this transformation agenda, as you can see Delta State is one of the fastest growing state in this nation; this mighty and beautiful edifice we are commissioning today shows the massive transformation going on in the state.”

    Former Governor of Anambra State Mr. Peter Obi also commended Governor Uduaghan for his programmes, especially the Micro-Credit scheme, the free maternal and childcare programme among others.

    He said, “Those of us who are neighbours to Delta State know that Governor Uduaghan has done a lot for Deltans. This is a state that has over the past three years being coming out first in micro finance, supporting small businesses and a lot of our own people are here doing their own businesses. It is one of the safest place and one of the best entrepreneurial places in this country today”.

    In continuation of the inauguration, Governor Uduaghan also inducted the 7.8-kilometer Umunede-Mbiri Road Rehabilitation, in the northern part of the state. He told guests, including traditional rulers, palace chiefs, political leaders and stakeholders, that “the road will improve inter-city road transportation, enhance urban growth, communication and reinvigorate commerce and social life in the area.”

    “We constructed this road to take people safely to their destination, when you are drunk, don’t drive, when you are feeling sleepy, don’t drive and when you take drugs, please don’t drive, by God’s grace this road will take us to our destination’’ Gov Uduaghan advised road users.

    Earlier, the Commissioner for Works, Mr. Funkekeme Solomon disclosed that project was awarded in October 2014 at a cost of N497.12 million and targeted to link Umunede, Mbiri town, Mbiri farm settlement and other communities in the state and neighbouring Edo State.

    The Obi of Mbiri, HRM Obi Dr. Ifeanyichukwu Alekwe II, who received Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan at his palace, thanked the governor for the project and commended the existing unity among traditional rulers in Delta State and urged their subjects to emulate them so that development can come to their areas.

    He said, ‘The presence of other traditional rulers shows the unity among traditional rulers, that is a lesson to all of us who are your subjects because if our royal fathers are united then of course the subjects become united and we have no cause to be divided’’.

    HRM, Obi Dr. Alekwe II commended Dr. Uduaghan for keeping his promise to rehabilitate and reseal the Umunede-Mbiri road and assured the governor of the support of his people as well as the protection of all government properties.

    The Governor also inaugurated nine internal road projects at Ovwor-Olomu in Ughelli South local government area of the state. He promised that his administration would be willing to accommodate genuine investors who would not become problems.

    He said, “We are ready to accept visitors who have genuine business in our state but our visitors should not be problem to us. Let me assure our farmers that government is doing a lot to secure our people, especially, farmers, we have never heard of cattle rearers carrying AK 47 rifles, we have never heard of cattle rearers raping women or even killing people in the bush, but, it is happening now and we must stop it.”

    The marathon project inauguration also took Governor Uduaghan to the Ndokwa areas of the state where he commissioned the 14.7-km Ashaka/Aboh road. The construction of the hitherto perennially treacherous road has made it easier for vehicles to get to Aboh, headquarters of Ndokwa East local government area of the state without hitch. Motorists going to the local council headquarters in the past had to wait for several hours for their vehicles to be ferried across a river using pontoons.

    In his address, the governor express joy that “one can now drive to Aboh”, stressing, “before 1999, when you mention Aboh, what comes to mind is pontoon and bad road. Aboh is a historic town.”

    The Governor, who had earlier paid a courtesy call on the Obi of Aboh, HRM Obi Imegwu II, commended the monarch for being a blessing to the people of Aboh. “When a blessed royal father is on the throne, good things come to his Kingdom, our royal father is blessed. In his reign, Aboh has opened up, it is now accessible, there is a general hospital, a polytechnic is under construction, among others; Aboh is developing fast.”

    Obi Imegwu II, who spoke through the Secretary of Aboh Traditional Council, Chief J.A. Ozegbe, thanked Governor Uduaghan’s administration for contributing immensely to the development of his kingdom.

    ”We wish to fervently appreciate you for appointing our sons and daughters to take care of strategic positions during your tenure, profoundly, we are overwhelmed and appreciative of your efforts on the completion of the Aboh/Ashaka road which is a master piece, solid road to link us together economically and socially with even neughbouring state – Rivers via Ndoni.”

    At Aradhe, Isoko North local government area, the Governor commissioned a 13 kilometer road valued at N1.9 billion. The road links Aradhe to Ushe and Ashakaý. The Governor also commissioned several internal roads in Ughelli and the redesigned and expanded Refinery Road in Effurun, Uvwie LGA.