‘He has character, pedigree,’ Cultural Credibility endorses Peter Obi for president

A sociopolitical and civil society organisation, Cultural Credibility Development Initiative (CCDI), has endorsed Mr. Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party, ahead of the February 25 election.

The organisation becomes the latest high profile group to endorse the candidacy of Obi after the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum.

CCDI which gave the endorsement in a statement jointly signed by Ide Goddy Uwazurike, its president, and Steve Nwabuko, its secretary, on Wednesday, noted that the former Anambra State governor is the most qualified of all the presidential candidates to lead the country at this time.

The group noted that at the beginning of 2023, it conducted a membership survey of those in favour of Mr. Obi to become the elected president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and over 88 percent signed up in clear affirmation of him as President.

It however, posited that without recourse to that earlier group exercise and in keeping with the facts that equity, justice, inclusiveness and fair play are hallmarks of nation building, Obi stands apart from the rest as the ideal president of Nigeria in 2023.

The group highlighted challenges the country faces, which makes the choice of Obi a compelling one.

It noted, among others, that “the decline in Nigeria’s economic, political, social, cultural and technological fortunes in the face of massive oil revenue earnings from 1973 to 2023 resulting in Nigeria ranking as the poverty capital of the world, as harbouring about one hundred and thirty three(133) million people trapped in multi dimensional poverty, points to leadership failure arising from poor management of national resources by our past leaders.

“That the huge debt profile, epileptic power supply, general insecurity, high rate of out-of-school children, youth restiveness, incessant ASUU strikes, depletion of our foreign reserves, fall in the value of the naira, crash in the standard of living of Nigerians, have combined to point to a state in urgent need of national rebirth.*

“That the major contenders to the office of President of Nigeria in APC, PDP, and LP, can be distinguished by: Character, Capacity and Competence.”

According to the group, “the Labour Party candidate, Mr Peter Obi, is the only one left standing on the strong credentials of: Purity, Pedigree, Performance, Perfection and Persuasion.”

Speaking further, the group noted that, “With character, capacity and competence to pull Nigeria out of the precipice, reposition her from consumption to production, reignite the energies of her youths to triumphant participation in nation building, pull the citizenry out of poverty, reunite Nigeria of all cleavages, language and religion under a diversity that works and does not discriminate, offer proven rendition of services in integrity and values driven mandate and restore the dignity of Nigerians in Nigeria and abroad.

“It is not because it is the turn of any ethnic group to govern or lay claim to power, rather, the emergence of Peter Obi in the firmament of Nigeria’s troubled political rhetorics with energy, zeal, strength, frenzy, wisdom, knowledge and understanding of what Nigeria wants and where Nigeria ought to be, that has encouraged us in Cultural Credibility Development Initiative in unison to pick Mr Peter Obi, the Labour Party Presidential candidate as the best person to become the President of Nigeria by the outcome of the February, 25th Presidential election.

“This endorsement is given irrespective of any other candidate vying for elective office in any political party in Nigeria.

“It is in keeping with the powers vested in us by the Trustees of Cultural Credibility Development Initiative that we so declare our full support towards the Presidential ambition of Mr Peter Obi of the Labour Party, dated this 15th day of February, in the year of our Lord Jesus Christ, 2023.”