The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) Peter Obi has said there are plots to smear his image and that of his supporters in the coming months.
Obi who is presently challenging the declaration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the winner of the February 25 presidential election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT), stated that “Campaigns of calumny are being perfected to defame my character and diminish my hard-earned integrity.
“These schemes will aim at degrading our support base and confusing the public.”
The LP candidate who said his decision to contest the 2023 presidential election was fueled by the desire to reverse the negative image of Nigeria, however, assured that he would remain committed, and untiring in the determination to work with like-minded Nigerians to end the curse of the nation’s missed opportunities and squandered hope.
“I will never shrink from that original commitment, because I firmly believe that we must change from the present politics of criminality (and) corruption, in order to make a new Nigeria possible,” he said.
He decried what he described as “the present shameful condition of our country,” especially “the widespread criminal plundering of our nation’s wealth by those who are called to manage it and serve the people.
“I also reject, without reservations, the growing impression that our nation is one in which the most important requirements for 21st-century nationhood can be routinely violated with impunity.
“I reject a nation where security, rule of law, peaceful coexistence are on a steady decline.”
Obi wondered why Nigeria should rank among the worst countries n the world, in the three most important indices that separate developed and undeveloped nations, namely: education, health, and per capita income.
He blamed the country’s ranking as the poverty capital of the world on these indices.
“It is not right that our few educated and skilled youth should be trooping out to other lands.
“They are not leaving willingly, no! They all wish to be here, happily contributing to the development of their country. But that is if Nigeria is working on their needs and hopes,” he regretted.
The LP candidate stated that Nigeria needs good and focused leadership, and said it was for that reason that he contested the February 25 presidential election.
“I sought the exalted office in order to end the current situation, wherein we use our scarce human resources to train manpower for even more developed nations,” he added.
According to him, the conduct and outcome of the last general elections showcased the troubled state of our democracy.
He noted that while a partisan minority seemed satisfied with the conduct of the election and the results, the majority of Nigerian voters and many international observers rejected the process and the outcome.
Obi stated that serious reservations have been expressed by the majority of stakeholders about the shortcomings of the elections, but said it was not enough for anyone to take the laws into his hands.
“As we await the verdict of the election tribunal, I urge all Nigerians to use this opportunity to renew their commitment to the Nigerian ideal. That ideal remains noble and worth every sacrifice we can make.
“Nigeria remains our only patrimony and it is a patrimony we must protect, rather than violate. We have no other nation but this, so let us remain committed to rescuing and rebuilding it.
“The judiciary is part of the democratic enterprise and a critical governance tool for determining the propriety of the decisions and actions of every citizen and every institution of the state.
“To that extent, and for that reason, I urge everyone to treat it with the respect and dignity it deserves.”
He said Nigerians expect that the judiciary would use the election cases now before it to reaffirm its independence and integrity, adding that it has to do so, for the sake of the country and for itself.
“Nigerians must, therefore, remain peaceful and law-abiding. No matter the depth of anyone’s reservations about what is going on in the polity today, no matter the real and imagined provocations, and no matter the disagreement out there, we should remember that this will not last forever,” Obi added.
He appealed to Nigerians, especially the youths to remain steadfast, calm, patient, and peaceful, adding, “Our journey may be long and difficult but it is worth it in every way. Victory is assured.
“We have to work together to move our beautiful country from corruption and criminality to a centre of productivity rather than aimless consumption.”
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