Headlines
Excuses won’t define my presidency – Peter Obi
Mr. Peter Obi, presidential candidate of Labour Party, has assured that he would not offer excuses in place of good governance if elected President in 2023.
The former Anambra State governor spoke at the opening of a two-day leadership retreat organised by Labour Party for its candidates vying for various elective offices in the 2023 general elections, in Abuja, on Tuesday.
According to him, the responsibility of a leader is to solve problems not give excuses as such, he was vying for office to provide solutions.
While reiterating his commitment not to disappoint organized labour and Nigerians, he said it would be a huge disappointment for a candidate who enjoys the unalloyed support of organised labour to fail to deliver if given the opportunity.
“I am in this retreat to listen. Even if we don’t achieve 100 percent, we must have made sacrifices,” he said.
Obi encouraged the electorate to base their choices on competence and not ethnic or religious considerations.
“I want you to put all us on a scale and weigh us, access of us and decide who the best man is. Don’t vote for me because I’m from the Southeast. Don’t vote for anyone because he’s from the Southwest. ”
The Labour Party candidate also slammed the current administration for failing to resolve the perennial industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities 12 years after the Federal Government signed an agreement with the University teachers.
“How much is ASUU asking for that Nigerian government cannot pay since the last 12 years? N1.2 trillion.”
He noted that the revenue which accrued to Nigeria in the month of July alone, was sufficient to meet ASUU’s demands.
Obi expressed confidence that the 2023 general election will be about character, competence and capacity not ethnicity or religion because Nigerians are now more than ever before determined to see a better country.
Speaking at the event, President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Ayuba Wabba, gave assurances that Nigerian workers will take active part in the electoral process to ensure that only leaders who have the nation at heart emerge as leaders.
Wabba noted that protest and strike alone cannot fix Nigeria, but said that the NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), will activate their structures in the 774 Local Government Areas of the nation in support of the Labour Party.
He expressed sadness that some politicians have turned politics into business with dire consequences on the nation’s development.
Wabba said, “…people are selling properties to contest election only to recover them again after winning. This is not the type of politics labour is preaching.
“Presidential candidates must meet the criteria before they can earn labour’s support.”
Speaking in a similar vein, the President of the Trade Union Congress, Comrade Festus Osifo, assured that the union will support Labour Party 100 per cent.
In his address, the National Chairman of Labour Party, Julius Abure, described the Labour Party as the fastest growing political party in Nigeria.
Abure said, “the LP membership base has expanded across the country. The party now has a strong presence in most communities.
“Never in the history of this party have we had the opportunity and platform that we have today. “
He stressed that the LP and it’s a candidate we’re in the race to positively change the Nigerian story.
Abure said, “It is now visible that the country is not performing. Anywhere one looks, we can find sectors and systems that have failed completely or are regressing badly.
“One such critical sector is the security and welfare of Nigerian citizens.”
The event witnessed the unveiling of the party’s membership registration portal and membership cards, which the National Chairman said, would be distributed free to willing members nationwide.
