…urges unity, fairness in Labour Party
Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 general elections, said that “Nigeria is collapsing” and urged Nigerians to speak up and take action.
Speaking on Wednesday at a factional National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the party held at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja, Obi painted a picture of deepening poverty and hardship across the country, using personal experiences to illustrate how dire the situation has become.
“Nigeria is collapsing. Anybody can say anything. The numbers are clear. The indices are clear. More and more people, poorer… Even in this hotel… Every time I enter this hotel and I see people who are telling me, ‘Oga, I just came to Abuja, I can’t go back,’” he said.
The NEC meeting, which was chaired by Nenadi Usman, the chairman of the party’s caretaker committee, comes amid the controversy over the recent Supreme Court judgement on the national chairmanship position for the Labour Party.
Obi’s running mate, Datti Baba-Ahmed, Governor Alex Otti of Abia, senators, representatives, and other prominent members of the party were also in attendance.
At the meeting, Obi called on party members to work as a united family while emphasising the need for inclusivity, internal democracy, and credible candidate selection ahead of future elections.
Read also: LP’s NEC ratifies Nenadi Usman’s transition Committee
The former presidential candidate stressed that the party must correct the mistakes of the past and build a foundation rooted in fairness, competence, and ideology.
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“It is choice of everybody. We must move and do everything we’re doing as a family because we’re choosing to be family. And this family does not exclude anybody,” Obi said.
He noted that the Labour Party must be deliberate in ensuring that only committed, competent members are selected to contest future elections across all levels.
“We want to be sure that the people who come to the House of Rep are not passers-by, they are members of our party, and they are competent, and they will stand with the party,” he stated.
The former Anambra State governor urged members not to be afraid of confronting issues within the party and the country, stressing the importance of speaking up and taking principled stands.
“Do not fear anybody… Those who feared yesterday have not done it better. We must speak when things are wrong. Even if we go and fail, we fail, but it is better to fail being right than you have the sign of wrong,” he said.
Obi also commended Governor Alex Otti of Abia State, party senators, and other stakeholders present for their continued support and performance.
“I must thank all of you. I thank our performing governor. Thank all those who are here for their contribution, for their support and everything… Let us remain firm as a family. We have a lot of work to do. Let’s go and face that work and do it justly, loving each other.”
He concluded by urging the party to extend love and reconciliation to aggrieved members, reminding them that disagreements are part of family life.
“Families do disagree and reconcile and move on as a family. So let us go, whatever happened in the past, let’s march on in the future, ensuring that we will get to where we’re going. Labour Party, forward!”
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