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Tag: Peter Obi

  • Obi hails Tinubu’s advice on VAT

    Vice Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Peter Obi has hailed National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, on his position on the proposed increment in Value Added Tax (VAT).

    Tinubu, last Thursday, advised the Federal Government against increasing VAT rate as being canvassed by the Minister of National Planning, Udoma Udo Udoma and the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Mr. Babatunde Fowler.

    In a statement yesterday by his media office, Obi described Tinubu’s advice as gratifying and making economic sense given the situation in the country.

    According to him, Tinubu’s position was clearly at variance with that of his party, saying it goes to underscore the uncoordinated campaign the APC dished out to Nigerians.

    Obi, who said tax must be relaxed to act as incentive to local and foreign investors, insisted that the right way to shape up the economy in the face of mass unemployment is to have attractive economic policies to encourage entrepreneurs and investors.

    Read also:  VAT increase will raise misery index, says MAN

    According to him, the call for an increase in VAT or other taxes in the present economic situation amounted to insensitivity on the part of the government.

    He, however, noted that Tinubu’s advice was in tandem with the position of the PDP, stressing that tax reduction was one of the main electioneering campaign messages of the PDP presidential campaign.

    “It is extremely unrealistic for anybody to think of growing the economy and creating jobs by increasing tax. It’s too simplistic an approach,” Obi reiterated.

    The former vice presidential candidate enjoined Tinubu to also advise the All Progressives Congress (APC) to embrace restructuring, saying it is the only option left to move the country forward.

    “Anybody thinking this country will work without tinkering with the political and economic structure is deceiving himself because no nation grows on injustice,” he noted.

  • Obi hails Tinubu’s advice on VAT

    The vice presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 23 presidential election, Mr Peter Obi has commended the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu on his position on Value Added Tax (VAT).

    Tinubu had, in Abuja on Thursday, advised the Federal Government against increasing VAT rate, as being canvassed by the Minister of National Planning, Udoma Udo Udoma and the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Mr. Babatunde Fowler.

    In a statement Sunday by his media office, Obi described Asiwaju Tinubu’s advice as gratifying and made a lot of economic sense given the situation in the country.

    According to the PDP chieftain, Tinubu’s position was clearly at variance with that of his party, saying it goes to underscore the uncoordinated campaign the APC dished out to Nigerians.

    Stating that tax must be relaxed to act as an incentive to local and foreign investors, Obi insisted that the right way to shape up the economy in the face of mass unemployment in the country is to have an attractive economic policy to encourage entrepreneurs and investors.

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    Obi said the call for increase in VAT or other taxes in the present economic situation amounted to insensitivity on the part of government to the plight of the populace.

    Mr Obi, however, said that Tinubu’s advice on VAT was in tandem with the position of the PDP, stressing that tax reduction was one of the main electioneering campaign messages of the PDP presidential campaign.

    “It’s extremely unrealistic for anybody to think of growing the economy of this country and creating jobs just by increasing tax. It’s too simplistic an approach”, Obi said.

    The former opposition vice presidential candidate enjoined Tinubu to also advise the APC to embrace restructuring, saying it’s the only option left to move the country forward.

    Obi said, “Anybody thinking that this country will work without tinkering with the political and economic structure is deceiving himself because no nation grows on injustice”.

    He described as unfortunate the fact that Nigeria with all her potential, is among the three African countries that Pew Research Center indicated that 45 percent of their adult population are desiring to leave the countries in search of greener pastures.

  • Kano supplementary poll license to violence – Obi

    The vice presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 23 election, Mr Peter Obi, has described last Saturday’s governorship supplementary election in Kano as scandalous and the height of brigandage.

    The conduct of the election, Obi said, was akin to giving official license that could motivate Nigerians into violent acts and thereby destroying the country’s youths.

    In a statement Monday by his media office, Obi said what all democratic watchers saw in Kano state rerun election, amounted to licensing our youths for violence, and setting a very dangerous precedent.

    He said, “We are now institutionalizing thuggery and rigging as process of coming into power, which is very dangerous precedent for our country”.

    The main opposition chieftain added that, “proceeds in the name of results from what happened in Kano make the entire electoral process ridiculous and shameful”.

    Mr Obi wondered how the Nigeria Police, which mobilised its top officers and men to Kano, to secure the state during the election, could watch while political thugs took over control of the process.

    “They owe Nigerians and election observers a lot of explanations on what happened”, Obi said.

    Mr Obi also called to question the integrity of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), for hurriedly recognising and acknowledging election results from a process “where machetes carrying miscreants took charge of the process”.

    He warned that with the Kano incident, the country is dangerously bequeathing to the society a trend that is bound to consume not only the youths, but also, the entire country.

    The former Anambra state governor declared that country further ridiculed itself and made itself a laughing stock, wondering how would anyone think that the process witnessed in Kano during the said election, could produce leadership that can grow the state.

    Obi, whose party lost the election to incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari and his All Progressives Congress (APC), described as regrettable the unnecessary loss of quality hands and minds heads to the exercise.

    He cited the case of another election in the same category, where a Professor was shot in Benue State, in the course of performing electoral duties. “It’s most painful”, he said.

    Making reference to India, Obi said if India, with over 800 million voters, can conduct election without losing such “caliber of people”.

    Obi wondered if President Buhari and the APC could come into power in 2015 without such “senseless” loss of lives, then why should it be the case now?

    He prayed God for repose of the souls of the victims and fortitude for the families and relatives.

  • Atiku, Obi rejoice with Adeleke over Tribunal ruling

    The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar and his running mate, Peter Obi have rejoiced with Senator Ademola Adeleke, the party’s governorship candidate in the Osun September 28 elections.

    Adeleke was declared winner by the Osun Governorship Tribunal sitting in Abuja on Friday.

    Atiku, on his verified Twitter handle @Atiku, the former Vice President also praised the judiciary for coming to the rescue of the common man.

    Read Also: Mandate returned, says Davido on Osun tribunal ruling

    He wrote: “Truly, the judiciary is the last hope of the common man and the defender of our democracy. Congratulations Sen Demola Adeleke, @IsiakaAdeleke1.”

    Obi, on his twitter handle @PeterObi, wrote: “Congratulations Senator Ademola Adeleke @IsiakaAdeleke1. Power to the People!”

  • No nation can grow with election rigging – Peter Obi

    The vice presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 23, 2019 presidential election, Mr. Peter Obi has said that no nation can grow nation can grow with election rigging.

    In a statement Sunday by his media office, Obi described election rigging as the worst form of vices, as he decried the “rigging” recorded in the 2019 general elections.

    The former Anambra State Governor said that the process through which people come into office is far more important than what they do thereafter, adding that the process forms the basis of their integrity.

    According to him, election rigging is the root of corruption, as it goes to impact negatively on the political and economic growth of the country.

    The PDP vice presidential candidate noted that the “fraud” that characterised the 2019 elections has greatly undermined the country’s democracy.

    He added that it has significantly damaged the future of the country, ridiculed the fight against vices and tainted the integrity of those responsible.

    Obi further observed that the enormity of damage done to the collective psyche of the nation by electoral fraud cannot be quantified.

    The opposition chieftain submitted that negative acts like election manipulation were part of the reasons the country is not growing and or tackle the existing myriads of problems like unemployment and its attendant vices.

    “The only thing rigging does to a country is that it continues to keep incompetent people in office, and as a result, rather than put energy in creating jobs to engage its teeming youths, it instead channels it trying to contain all sorts of vices and brigandage”, Obi said.

    Read Also: Peter Obi rejects presidential results in Anambra

    He blamed the sustenance of incompetent persons in political offices on election rigging, saying that the trend has continued to cause harm to the society.

    Mr. Obi charged leaders at all levels to be more concerned and strive to create jobs and engage millions of Nigerian youths roaming the streets doing nothing at their prime productive ages.

     

  • Obi bemoans suspension of polls in Rivers, others

    Vice Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Peter Obi is concerned with the suspended March 9 elections in Rivers and five other states.

    In a statement yesterday through his media office, Obi appealed to the international community to show more than a passing interest in a “contrived stalemate in the elections affecting Rivers and five other states”.

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) suspended the elections in Rivers and declared the polls inconclusive in Plateau, Benue, Adamawa, Bauchi and Kano States.

    Obi also kicked against the alleged role of the military in the election, and queried the alleged forceful relocation of collation centres to a military formation, as well as the refusal of the military to allow journalists and local and foreign observers access to the collation process.

    He described the involvement of the military in the polls as needless, saying it has aggravated the tense situation in Rivers State.

    Obi, who described the situation as a grave breach of democratic norms, wondered why the undue interest in Rivers, “a very well known PDP stronghold”?

    According to him, Rivers State Governor Neysom Wike should be the last to face this type of harassment given his popularity with his people.

    He called on Nigerians and friends of the country to condemn the stalemate, saying the situation is clearly unacceptable.

    “Any reasonable person should know that Governor Wike is the last person who should be harassed, knowing what he has put in just in four years in the delivery of democracy dividends,” Obi added.

  • Why we’ll contest presidential results, by Obi

    The Vice Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the just concluded presidential elections, Mr. Peter Obi on Monday asked those discouraging the party from heading to court to perish the idea.

    He said the party was not going to court to challenge the All Progressives Congress (APC) but the process that brought them to power.

    Obi, who spoke with newsmen in Onitsha, said dissuading the party from contesting the outcome of the poll was allowing impunity to go unchallenged.

    He accused the APC of gross manipulation of the electoral process, describing the act as worse than corruption.

    Obi said he aligned fully with PDP as a party, the Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar and well-meaning Nigerians in condemning the exercise.

    He expressed confidence that the party would reclaim its mandate at the court.

    He said: “There is nothing to reconcile because we are not quarreling with them.

    “We are quarrelling with the process that declared them winners.

    “Every competition has its own rules. You can’t go into a football competition and score from the offside and said it should be accepted.

    “This is even worse than scoring from offside. They went and threw in the ball into the goal post when nobody was there.

    “We can’t continue with election rigging, incompetence and nepotism which are worse than corruption in any society.”

    Obi thanked Nigerians for their support for the party, especially the youth and women, some of who he said were exercising their voting rights for the first time.

    “I was touched by the eagerness with which Nigerians came out to fulfill their civic duties of voting in the over 119,000 polling booths scattered all over Nigeria.

    “I also condole the families of those that lost their lives and those that sustained various degrees of injuries during the election,” he added.

    He appealed to them not to allow their spirit become dampened towards the performance of their civic duties in future.

    According to Obi: “The election was anything but a transparent, free and fair election, which certainly fell far below the standard established by the 2015 presidential election.

    He claimed it was characterised by deliberate voters’ suppression and intimidation throughout the South-East and South-South, actions he described as the highest form of corruption.

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    Obi lamented that the two zones under reference witnessed different sets of rule.

    He continued: “While some zones voted strictly using the card readers, other zones, as part of the manipulation orchestrated by the ruling party, APC were allowed to vote without card readers contrary to the guidelines INEC issued before the election.

    “As law abiding citizens, the PDP as a party, its Presidential candidate and himself, had decided to go to court because of their belief in the rule of law.

    “Though elections give citizens a means to hold their leaders accountable by voting incumbents out of office or promising to hold to account those leaders successfully elected, the process is more important than the outcome as the rule of law must always prevail.

    “Thus, the consequences of Nigeria without rule of law will be unimaginable chaos and tyranny.”

  • INEC disenfranchised 8m South east voters, Obi alleges

    Vice presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Mr. Peter Obi on Tuesday said the results declared by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from Anambra state was unacceptable to the party.

    He accused the electoral umpire of disenfranchising over 8 million registered voters in the South East in Saturday’s Presidential and National Assembly elections.

    Addressing newsmen in his Onitsha residence, Obi lamented that the elections were systematically planned to ensure the zone did not participate fully in the exercise.

    He argued only 20 percent were able to cast their votes out of 10 million registered voters in the region.

    According to him: “You will recall that on the Election Day, I said that the process was clumsy and we also had major problem of card readers and most people could not vote.

    “When over 400,000 Card Readers got burnt, it became clear that something was wrong somewhere and INEC could not save the situation and they will not allow people to vote manually.

    “But in some other parts of the country people were allowed to vote manually and it was accepted by the electoral body.

    “Now how can you tell me that a state like Yobe and Borno produced the number of voters that is higher than Anambra and Ebony states put together?

    “The two states are areas that have been at war and I wonder how they got Card Readers that are working so well despite the war situation that they found themselves.”

    Obi regretted the retrogressive disposition the country was tilting towards, noting instead of building on achievements of the 2015 general elections, the nation was on a reverse

    He added: “The impressive turn out of voters was discouraged by the performance of the electoral body last Saturday.”

    Obi further decried the harassment and attacks members of his party suffered in the hands of security agencies targeted at intimidating them.

    He however stated it was not in his powers to announce any demand for the cancellation of the election, saying, “It is left for the party to make its position clear on the matter.”

  • Massive turn out of voters in Anambra

    The Presidential and National Assembly elections held in Anambra State on Saturday witnessed massive turn out in the state.

    But the Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige, failed fingerprint test, while blaming the situation on recent Anambra INEC Fire Incident

    Though the former governor expressed joy on the polls, his fingers could not be identified by the card reader

    He said the situation was not unconnected to the recent fire incident at the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters in Awka.

    Despite the hitch, the Minister had to skip the thumbprinting and cast his vote at about 10.30 am,with the enthusiastic crowd cheering and shouting his name in his Alor ward.

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    Also, the State Governor, Willie Obiano, praised INEC for living up to expectations after the initial postponement last week.

    Obiano, who voted exactly 10.05am while speaking with reporters, said things were going on as expected, praising the Anambra electorate for their dedication.

    However, the senatorial candidate of the People’s Democratic Party PDP for Anambra South zone, Chief Chris Uba, could not vote as card readers in his ward malfunctioned. At Amatutu Ward 11 in Anaocha Local Government Area, where the PDP Vice Presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, voted at exactly 8.55am with his wife, Margret, the crowd was equally intimidating.

    But Obi, who was not looking happy, raised the alarm that some security operatives stormed the houses of some PDP chieftains in the state last night including himself.

  • Obi raises alarm over harassment

    The vice presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party PDP, Mr Peter Obi, has raised the alarm over alleged harassment and intimidation by security operatives in the state  on Friday night.

    He said not only himself was visited by security operatives, but also other PDP chieftains he failed to mention.

    Read Also: Obi campaigns in Anambra markets

    However, he said he would not talk about arrest of any of them, adding, “I don’t know of arrests, but visiting and harassment capital ‘YES’ including myself”

    He spoke with reporters at Umudiamakasi square in Amatutu ward 11, Agulu, Anambra state at exactly 8.55am