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Tag: Obi

  • Obi and call for Kanu’s release

    Obi and call for Kanu’s release

    Sir: Recently, Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, asked the Nigerian government to release Kanu from detention. He stated this while speaking to reporters in Onitsha last weekend. According to him, “I don’t see any reason for his continuous detention, especially as the courts have granted him bail. The government must obey the court…we are in a democracy, and we should not be doing things that are arbitrary and not within the law”.

    This is not the first time Obi is calling for the unconditional release of Kanu. Under the Buhari-led administration, he asked that the government release the IPOB leader and stop the use of force in fighting the Biafra agitators in spite of the fact that these misled youths had taken arms against the state and had created a quasi-state within the nation.

    I think Obi is making a grave mistake in this his populist clamour for the release of Kanu who is undergoing trial for treasonable felony.

    First, it is a transparent untruth, as usual, for Obi to claim Kanu has an existing bail granted him which the federal government is disobeying.

    Read Also: Tinubu, APC salute National Secretary Basiru

    For the uninitiated, Kanu was arrested in 2015 when Buhari was in power. Some of the stakeholders from the eastern part of the nation intervened and he was granted bail on several conditions. He flouted the conditions and fled the country. About seven years later, he was arrested again in Kenya and brought to Nigeria to face trial. The Court of Appeal held in 2022 that the IPOB leader was extraordinarily renditioned to Nigeria and that the action was a violation of the nation’s extradition treaty and also a breach of his fundamental rights. On this basis, the appeal court struck out the terrorism charges filed against him by the government and ordered that he be released immediately.

    The government appealed the ruling of the appeal court by obtaining an order staying the execution of the court at the apex court. The Supreme Court reversed the acquittal granted to Kanu by the appeal court and ordered the continuation of his trail at the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja.

    Several bail applications by counsels to Kanu were dismissed by the court. So it is not true that there is any existing bail for Kanu the government is not obeying; Obi is not telling the public the truth.

    Secondly, Obi is not sympathizing with victims of Kanu’s purported orders as much as he is with Kanu being in detention. There is hardly no agency from the Nigerian Army, Airforce, Department of State Security, Immigration, Customs, Police, Federal Road Safety Corps, and Civil Defence, even the Ibos in the East, that have not fallen victims to the sabre-rattling of the murderous group. The gang have killed a lot of people in most atrocious and grisly ways. There was a video that went viral sometimes last year where they striped a military couple and cut them with knives like they were cutting beef.

    Recently, about five soldiers on security mission were murdered in Abia State in cold blood.

    Does Obi think about the untimely death of these military personnel who did not die in the hands of external aggressors, but in the hands of internal rascals aided by rhetoric from these so-called leaders of the movement? What about the family of the victims? Does he think if the man accused of instructing and aiding the killings of their family members serving the nation does not face the full length of justice, they will ever find psychological closure to the internal pain?

    What Obi should be calling for is justice to be served without prejudice; not unconditional release of Kanu. Apart from murder, treason is one of the highest crimes known to man in my own estimation. No state looks away while her security operatives are murdered without those involved facing some measure of consequences when apprehended.

    •Elempe Dele,Lagos.

  • JUST IN: Transition committee insists Abure must resign

    JUST IN: Transition committee insists Abure must resign

    …as Labour leaders storm venue of NWC meeting with Obi

    The leadership tussle of the Labour Party escalated on Tuesday, June 25, as the Labour Party National Transition Committee (LPNTC) demanded the resignation of the party chairman, Julius Abure.

    The labour leaders, who stormed the venue of the meeting of the National Working Committee of the party in Abuja convened by its former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, insisted that the tenure of Abure and others would expire by the end of this month.

    The chairman of the committee, Comrade Abdulwahed Omar said the committee would “either we find our way forward or we make our way forward.”

    In an attempt to force their way into the premises, the police fired teargas to dispatch the labour leaders.

    Omar, who was a former President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, said: “The issue at hand is that the tenure of Abure and the National Working Committee has expired by the end of this month. And there cannot be a vacuum in leadership.

    “We have tried to do it peacefully. As much as possible, if we can resolve this issue without fighting, that will be good but from what we have witnessed today, it appears certainly that it is either we find our way forward or we make our way forward. This I assure you.

    “We will not tolerate lawlessness but if anybody decides to be lawless because he has the power to pay and subvert our efforts I want to assure you that we are also capable of doing whatever anybody can do we can do more.”

    Omar said the committee has been given the mandate by stakeholders to conduct a new and all-inclusive national convention.

    Obi, who addressed the labour leaders outside the party secretariat, said he convened the meeting in order to reconcile aggrieved members of the party.

    The former Anambra State governor tasked the leadership of the party to continue in its efforts towards reconciling all aggrieved party members and supporters.

    He pledged to ensure that every discord within the party was addressed in no distant time.

    The former governor of Anambra state said leaders of the party must sit at a table and decide the future of the party.

    Obi said the reconciliation between the party and its estranged former leaders, led by former Deputy National Chairman (South), Lamidi Apapa was a welcome development, insisting that the reconciliation was for the greater good of the party.

    He said: “Let me tell you one thing, their reconciliation is all about our party and I can assure you that everyone must reconcile with each other.”

    “During our meeting before we learnt that our people were outside, I told them that my first assignment was reconciliation, my second assignment was reconciliation and my third assignment, reconciliation and I can tell you that what you witnessed earlier is a normal thing in our lives, I do the same thing. It is what I do every day even in our families. When we quarrel with our wives and children, we reconcile. Even today during the meeting, I made one instance which is that I have come to start the work of reconciling the family.

    Read Also: PHOTOS: NLC transition committee storms Labour Party Headquarters

    “So these people here are members of the family who we must reconcile with. We are going to sit down around a table and decide the future of our party. I am ready for a reconciliation meeting any day you choose.

    “And I like what happened here today. This means we have just started the reconciliation process and what we achieved today was so much, as I told you sometimes it happens in my house and I allow it because that is the only way I know how mature my children have become.”

    In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh Abure expressed satisfaction with the leadership roles Obi has been playing in the party in making sure that the party returned to a formidable entity capable enough to engender the new Nigeria hoped for.

    Abure said: “Labour Party is happy with your reconciliation project and we will give you all the support. We are not the aggressor here, we have always wanted peace because we can’t go into future elections with divided loyalty.

    “We have said that we are focused on 2027 that is why we are the only party that has produced its candidate for the 2027 presidential election. We know where we are going and we have refused to be distracted. We will definitely get to our destination of giving Nigerians a better nation.”

  • Obi suggests ways to tackle exodus of multinationals

    Obi suggests ways to tackle exodus of multinationals

    Mr Peter Obi, Labour Party’s Presidential Candidates in the 2023 General Elections, on Monday suggested  ways Nigeria could tackle exodus of multinational companies.

    The former governor of Anambra State made the suggestions  on his X handle.

    According to Obi, exodus of multinational companies from Nigeria has cost the nation N95 trillion in the past five years.

    Obi said that tackling the issue would require creating a business-friendly environment that would  boost investment, innovation and growth.

    “This includes prioritising security, stabilising our policies and reducing energy costs.

    Read Also: Opposition politics: Atiku, Obi out do each other

    “We must also cultivate a culture of transparency, accountability and good governance.

    “We can build an economy that benefits all Nigerians. Let us unite to transform Nigeria into a nation conducive for business and  attractive to investment.

    “Together, we can make Nigeria a beacon of hope and progress in Africa and the entire  world,” he said.

    (NAN)

  • Obi cautions Reps over presidential jet acquisition call

    Obi cautions Reps over presidential jet acquisition call

    • ‘Govt should focus on alleviating suffering’

    One  time Anambra State Governor Peter Obi has cautioned against calls on the Federal Government to increase the number of aircraft in the presidential fleet.

    Obi described the move as ‘unacceptable and a clear show of insensitivity to the people’s suffering’.

    He was reacting to calls by some House of Representatives members that the president should change his aeroplane.

    Writing on his X handle yesterday, the former Anambra State governor said: “At a time when our country is on the front page of global newspapers for facing its worst economic crisis marked by high inflation, a falling currency, and widespread poverty, the government is contemplating buying new presidential jets. This demonstrates extreme insensitivity to citizens’ struggles.

    “With rising insecurity, poverty, hunger, and homelessness, this decision highlights the disconnect that is apparent between the government and the people. It is unacceptable as the situation in the country today, more than ever, demands a more compassionate use of resources, prioritising citizens’ welfare.

    Read Also; Obi tackles FG over plans to buy new presidential jets

    “It’s on record that our presidential jets have an average age of 12 years, purchased when most Nigerians could afford necessities. Now, as our country faces significant challenges, including a high debt profile, our citizens are in even greater need. Instead of adding to our luxuries, we should be focused on alleviating their suffering and finding solutions to their problems.

    “For long, our bad leadership has made our priorities, as leaders, to be at variance to the needs of society, which is why we are now headed south as a nation. Despite dropping down to the fourth-largest economy in Africa, with a GDP of $252 billion, and a per capita income of $1,080, with huge debt burdens and borrowing to service debts, yet, we are spending $15 million for our Vice President’s residence. A reputable real estate company reports that the US Vice President’s Official Residence is valued at about $7.5 million today.

  • Obi tackles FG over plans to buy new presidential jets

    Obi tackles FG over plans to buy new presidential jets

    Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has tackled the Federal Government over plans to purchase new aircraft to add to the existing Presidential fleets.

    Obi described the move as “unacceptable and a clear show of insensitivity to the suffering of the Nigerian people.”

    Writing on his X handle on Monday, the former Anambra Governor said: “At a time when our country is on the front page of global newspapers for facing its worst economic crisis, marked by high inflation, a falling currency, and widespread poverty, the government is contemplating buying new presidential jets. This demonstrates extreme insensitivity to citizens’ struggles. 

    “With rising insecurity, poverty, hunger, and homelessness, this decision highlights the disconnect that is apparent between the government and the people. 

    “It is unacceptable as the situation in the country today more than ever demands a more compassionate use of resources, prioritizing citizens’ welfare.

    Read Also: I’m not leaving Labour Party, says Peter Obi

    “It’s on record that our presidential jets have an average age of 12 years, purchased when most Nigerians could afford necessities. Now, as our country faces significant challenges, including a high debt profile, our citizens are in even greater need. Instead of adding to our luxuries, we should be focused on alleviating their suffering and finding solutions to their problems. 

    “For long, our bad leadership has made our priorities, as leaders, to be at variance to the needs of society, which is why we are headed now south, as a nation.

    “To elucidate further, despite dropping down to the fourth-largest economy in Africa, with a GDP of $252 billion and a per capita income of $1,080, with huge debt burdens and borrowing to service debts, yet, we are spending $15 million for our Vice President’s residence, while the USA, the world’s largest economy with a GDP of $25 trillion, about 100 times our GDP, and a per capita income of $80,000, about 80 times ours, still houses their Vice President in Number 1 Observatory Circle, a house built over 100 years ago, and whose value is less than the $15 million we are spending on our VP’s residence.

    “A reputable real estate company reports that the US Vice President’s Official Residence is valued at about $7.5 million today.

    “While we had earlier refurbished the old VP residence with $2 million, the over 100-year-old US Vice President’s house has only undergone wide-scale renovations twice, funded by taxpayers’ money; in 1993 and 2021. Every new US VP is free to finance any minor refurbishing from his funds.

    “It’s, therefore, time to stop this impunity, insensitivity, and shamelessness and refocus on the needs of our people. 

    “We must prioritise education, healthcare, and lifting our citizens out of poverty. Let us work together to build a nation that truly serves its people, not just the interests of a few. 

    “Let’s rise to the challenge, and build this new Nigeria which is now more possible than ever before.”

  • Obi seeks return to truly democratic nation

    Obi seeks return to truly democratic nation

    Former Anabra State governor Peter Obi has said the country should be returned to a truly democratic nation.

    Obi  stated this on his official X account yesterday.  to mark the nation’s Democracy Day.

    On his assessment of the 25 years of unbroken democracy in Nigeria, the former Anambra State Governor said that true democracy should be people-oriented, where the rights of citizens are respected, the laws are obeyed, the leaders remain accountable to the people, and people’s welfare and care, especially for the poor, become paramount and high priorities.

    He tweeted: ”While we may say that in 1999 we started in earnest in the right direction, today we have deteriorated into what can be classified as classical state capture. Instead of benefiting all, it has become a deprivation to all.

    ”As our dear nation marks Democracy Day today, commemorating 25 years of striving to be a democratic country, the fundamental question for all of us remains: Are we truly democratic?

    Read Also; Obi urges citizens to defend democracy

    ”An unexamined life is not worth living, so it is now time to re-examine what we have been doing over this quarter of a century. Democracy, as we know, is the government of the people, by the people, and for the people.

    ”The consequences of not being a true democracy have led to leadership failures that have resulted in uncontrolled systemic corruption, high levels of insecurity, lack of freedom of speech, increasing poverty rates, and unprecedented levels of hunger and hardship, which remain unsolved and are growing geometrically.

    ”True democracy should be people-oriented, where the rights of citizens are respected, the laws are obeyed, the leaders remain accountable to the people, and people’s welfare and care, especially for the poor, become paramount and high priorities.”

  • Obi urges citizens to defend democracy

    Obi urges citizens to defend democracy

    Mr Peter Obi, Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, has called on political leaders and ordinary citizens  to pr democracy jealously and uphold its tenets.

    Obi urged  leaders to obey the governing laws of the state and be accountable to the people.

    The former Anambra governor  made the   call in a series of tweets on his X handle on Wednesday to commemorate 2024 Democracy Day .

    According to him,  democracy is  beyond elections, but  also includes fulfilling the responsibilities of responsible governance as contained in the constitution.

    He said the realisation of a society where true democracy  thrives is possible.

    “As our dear nation marks Democracy Day today, commemorating 25 years of striving to be a democratic country, the fundamental question for all of us remains; are we truly democratic?

    Read Also: Obi, Onyema, Shagaya, others celebrate MAN boss Lady Ada

    “As we build Nigeria, these tenets shall be the pillars of our true democracy. It is possible,” he said.

    The former presidential candidate lamented that 25 years after, Nigeria was yet to be truly democratic.

    “Let us use the commemoration of June 12 as an occasion to return to a truly democratic nation.

    “We achieved that feat on June 12, 1993, by collectively voting for democracy in Nigeria. We must stand in defence of Nigeria’s democracy today,” he added.

    (NAN) 

  • Middle-Belt Coalition urges Obi to accept 2023 poll results

    Middle-Belt Coalition urges Obi to accept 2023 poll results

    The Coalition of Civil Society Organisations under the auspices of Middle-Belt Pan Nigerian Forum has urged former Labour Party candidate, Peter Obi, to respect the outcome of last year’s general elections and move on.

     In a statement by Dr. Danladi Ceceko, the group’s spokesperson, the coalition asserted that the election results, which saw the victory of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), reflected the wishes of the Nigerian people. 

     “It is evident for all to see that the 2023 general elections, especially the presidential poll, were among the freest and most transparent in our history,” Dr. Ceceko said.

     “The outcome, upheld by the Supreme Court, is a true representation of the will of Nigerians, and it is time for all participants to accept the results and move forward.” 

     The coalition expressed disappointment with Obi’s critique of the electoral process, accusing him of undermining the country’s institutions, including the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Supreme Court. 

     “It is quite unfortunate that Mr. Peter Obi would discredit our institutions like INEC and the Supreme Court, which validated the credible elections conducted by INEC,” the spokesman said. 

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     Dr. Ceceko noted that if the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was as problematic as some politicians have claimed, it raises the question of why there are calls from various quarters for the State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) to be disbanded and for INEC to conduct local government elections instead. Local government elections administered by SIECs are often fraught with irregularities and manipulation, according to these advocates.

     “It is evident that the political elite who frequently malign the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are often the same ones who oversee the worst elections in the country through the State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs)”. 

     The coalition also challenged Obi’s comparison of the Nigerian electoral process to that of South Africa, noting that the South African elections were not without their own challenges and technical glitches, including 579 petitions with 20 political parties rejecting the result as widely reported by international media outlets.

     “We really need Mr. Peter Obi to do his due diligence and research before comparing INEC to other countries’ electoral bodies,” Dr. Ceceko said. 

    “The South African election also experienced technical glitches, which were well-documented.” 

     The coalition urged Nigerians to respect their institutions and work together to improve the electoral process, rather than disparaging them. 

     “It is hypocritical of Mr. Peter Obi to claim that the election which brought Governor Alex Otti of Abia was credible and transparent, while asserting that the election he lost was marred by irregularities.

     It is worth noting that both elections were conducted by the same INEC under the leadership of Prof. Mahmud Yakubu”. 

     “Furthermore, it is important to remind Mr. Peter Obi that he is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, beneficiaries of the very institutions he is currently maligning. It was the same Supreme Court that restored his allegedly stolen mandate in 2003. 

    Additionally, it was the same INEC that conducted the election that secured his second term victory in Anambra”. The coalition argued that technical glitches during electoral processes are normal occurrences worldwide, and that such issues do not necessarily invalidate the outcome as a reflection of the will of the people. 

     “Because there was a technical glitch on the portal of the South African commission, does that invalidate the outcome of the election in which the ruling ANC won?” the spokesperson questioned. “I think it is about time we start respecting our institutions and join hands with other Nigerians to make them work and even better”, the statement added.

  • Obi, Obidients and delusions of grandeur

    Obi, Obidients and delusions of grandeur

    In May, Labour Party’s National Working Committee (NWC) headed by its chairman Julius Abure dedicated a directorate to cater to the interests of the Obidient Movement within the party. They called the new department the Directorate of Obidient Affairs. It was clear Mr Abure was simply trying to suck it up to Peter Obi, the party’s presidential candidate in the last poll, and also gain the upper hand in his jousting with the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) adamant about dethroning him. The ingratiation effort failed. When the controversy about the status of the Obidients ensued, it became even clearer that the chafing Mr Obi and his supporters, indecorously referred to and punned as servile obedient foot soldiers, had always seen themselves as both distinct from and superior to the LP. What is not clear, though, is what the vacillating NLC president, Joe Ajaero, thinks of the absolute contempt the Obi crowd have for the party and the disdain they showed for the pretentious directorate.

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    In an unflattering repudiation of the directorate, Tanko Yunusa, media aide to Mr Obi, had posted on Twitter: “It (The Obidient Movement) is not domiciled within any particular party or headquartered in any particular part of the country. Let this serve as a clarification that the Obidient Movement operates independently of any political party, and its membership is not limited to any particular affiliation.” In summary, Mr Obi is refusing to burn his bridges and has not foreclosed his departure from the quarrelsome party, while also signaling to potential suitors like the peripatetic former vice president Atiku Abubakar that he and his Obidient crowd are open to ‘mergers and acquisitions’. In one ungainly tweet, Mr Obi confirms what this column has always believed, that he is rootless, would not deign to form or nurture a party, and cannot even run a party, let alone summon the skill and temperament to unify a fractious group and build it into a cohesive force.

    Worse, by lionising the Obidient Movement, Mr Obi has exposed what he really thinks of his captive movement. They are in thrall to him, and he holds them hostage, a symbiosis that sadly and tragically, reinforces the movement’s controversial lack of ideology and structure as well as foretells both the apocalyptical threat they constitute to the body politic and the poison they disseminate to the muscles and sinews of the society. To consider such an amorphous group as transcending political parties and religions, despite their inglorious beginnings and politics, is nothing but delusions of grandeur.

  • No plan to exit LP, says Obi

    No plan to exit LP, says Obi

    • ‘Obidient movement not domiciled in any political party’

    The Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in last year’s general election, Mr. Peter Obi, has said he is not leaving the party.

    In a statement, Obi clarified his comments on the Directorate of OBIdients movement reportedly created by the party’s National Chairman, Julius Abure.

    In a series of posts on his X handle yesterday, the LP stalwart said his position on the Obidient Movement was to clarify issues that are of concern with his supporters.

    He said: “For the avoidance of doubt, ‘I remain a committed, loyal Labour Party member’. That is my definitive response to all Nigerians who may be in doubt about my party affiliation in the light of recent reports and conflicting interpretations of recent political expressions.

    “I have just been confronted by a journalist at the Abuja airport wanting to know if my statement on Obidient Movement yesterday is a signal of my leaving the Labour Party. For the attention of all those holding such an impression and for the general public, I remain a faithful, committed and loyal member of the Labour Party.

    Read Also: I’m not leaving Labour Party, says Peter Obi

    “Indeed, as a leader of the party, my aspiration, and desire working closely with other leaders is to reconcile our valued members, and partner with like minds, and parties all over the country to build a strong and better Party that will catalyse and commence the rebuilding of a new Nigeria.

    “My statement yesterday was intended to clarify some issues that are of concern to our teeming supporters some of whom are not members of any political party but are desirous for a new Nigeria. Our goal and aspirations remain that a new Nigeria is POssible.”

    In an earlier statement on Wednesday night, Obi had boasted that his ‘Obidient’ movement was far more than any political party in the country.