Obi: 2023 presidential election shouldn’t be about tribe, religion

The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, says the 2023 presidential election should not be about tribe, ethnicity, and religion.

Obi urged Nigerians to look out for character, competence, capacity, commitment, and physical energy to work as a president when making their presidential choice in the 2023 general election.

He said this during his visit to the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Sen. Lekan Baligun, at his palace in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital on Saturday.

The LP presidential candidate said: “I’m offering Nigerians what I did in Anambra State as a two-term governor. I have been asking Nigerians to investigate all of us aspiring to lead the country. What did we do at our previous points of assignments? Mine is not difficult to do for Your Imperial Majesty as our in-law in Onitsha where I hail from, just a tap on any of our people there, my profile would be made known.

“Other things to consider when making our presidential choice which I strongly believe would not be based on party basis are character, competence, capacity, commitment and mental and physical energy to do the work.

“We can make all promises, but, let us examine the person making the promises using the parameters identified above. How much of trust can we place in the person making the promise?”

Obi stated that states would be the epicentre of activities under his administration, noting that the idea of holing up in Abuja without actually knowing what goes on around the states of the country would be a thing of the past.

He lamented that all the infrastructures belonging to the Federal Government in the states have collapsed, making movement and meaningful development almost impossible.

He equally promised to fight corruption if elected, saying: “The government to be formed by the Labour Party come May 2023 would fight corruption because there can never be any progress under the regime where corruption remains the order of the day.

“By the time corruption is confronted headlong and defeated, criminality will reduce as a lot of jobless youths would be taken out of unemployment and poverty. We must get this country back on its feet and make it work again. This is my message to you Kabiyesi and the people of Ibadanland and I’m sure that with your support, it is doable,” Obi added.

On his part, Olubadan urged Obi to create Ibadan State if elected as president in the 2023 general election.

The monarch, who spoke through the Otun Balogun of Ibadanland, Chief Tajudeen Ajibola, urged the former governor of Anambra State to remain focused ahead of the 2023 polls, saying he was happy to receive him at his palace.

He further commended Obi’s delivery on the various problems confronting the country and how he would tackle them to bring about a new Nigeria if elected as president.

“As should be expected, Olubadan is the father of all and sees you all as his children. A widely travelled monarch, he is open-hearted and harbours no hatred for anybody for whatever purpose.

“We are happy to see you and your presentation bore eloquence testimony to your rich understanding of what you set out to do and one can only pray to God to grant you your heart desires and ability to follow to the letter your plan for a better and prosperous Nigeria,” Olubadan stated.

The Star