Presidency: 5 CSOs endorse Obi

.’I will dialogue with agitators everywhere’   

 By Phil Okose, Onitsha

No fewer than five coalition groups of Civil Society Organizations,  CSOs, Tuesday, in Enugu,, Enugu State, endorsed Mr. Peter Obi, the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, in the 2023 general election, as their consensus and best Presidential candidate.

The CSOs included Movement for Election of Nigeria President of Igbo Extraction, Concerned Elites for Better Society, National Coalition for Justice and Equity, Southeast Educational Vanguard and Anambra Moralist Organization.

They described Obi, as a former outstanding governor of Anambra state, who has the competence, capacity, courage and capability to transform and revamp the country and her economy.

Rising from their closed-door emergency general meeting, they called on Nigerians to vote for integrity not interest, meritocracy not mediocrity, and equity not inequality.

“We will commence in earnest, aggressive and massive mobilisation and sensitisation of citizenry from all sections of the country to support and show solidarity to Obi’s candidacy, as a national project and desideratum towards solving myriads of problems and challenges bedeviling the country,” they stated.

In a press statement signed by the leader and National convener of the coalitions, comrade (Evangelist), Vincent Ezekwueme, Professor Justice Chidi, secretary, and His lordship, Bishop Jude Enemuo Chukwu, tagged, “let us save ourselves and our country through the enthronement of good leaders and governments,” made available to newsmen in Onitsha, Anambra State,  they said that Obi represented politics of morality, a good conscience, selflessness, humility, and prudent management of the public fund for the public good.

,”If it were in advance democracy, Obi should have been prevailed upon to come and rescue the country, considering his sterling and outstanding performances as former governor of Anambra in which he left #75 billion in government coffers while leaving office when his colleagues incurred huge debt.

“Obi is humble, honest, compassionate, selfless, and fanatic when it comes to the welfare and interest of the people. Nigerians should not miss this golden opportunity by giving the pan-Nigeria mandate to Mr. Peter Obi.

Obi is Dr. Nelson Mandela, Julius Nyerere and Jose Mujika of our time. Let us collaboratively and collectively vote Peter Obi in, as President in 2023, in order to get Nigeria working again for the betterment of the society,” they pleaded.

According to them, Obi remains the best and only candidate that has the wherewithal to tackle insecurity, unemployment, corruption, inequalities, and injustices and will reduce drastically, the cost of governance.

They consequently,  appealed to all Nigerians, to support Peter Obi’s presidential aspiration on basis of competence, justice, equity, and good conscience. morality, inclusiveness, and sense of belonging.

“Let us get it right, by voting right candidates that will bear the interest of the masses at heart, not by ethnic sentiments, tribe, religion or clan cleavages,” they pleaded.

They, however, condemned the purported call by one of the Presidential candidates, on the electorate not to vote for candidates from other sections of the country, and described the call as a great disservice to the country.

” We must reenact the spirit of June 12th, 1993 elections, in 2023, if actually, we want to make, our good better, our better best. Candidates and political parties should embark on issue-based campaigns devoid of casting unsubstantiated aspersions on perceived opponents”, they maintained.

.I would dialogue with agitators everywhere – Obi

The presidential candidate of the Labour party, Mr. Peter Obi has reiterated his readiness to bring peace to Nigeria and quicken the development of every part of the country. Obi said this while speaking to Northern Elders’ Forum at Arewa House, Kaduna on Tuesday.

On how he would achieve it and also while answering questions on why he is yet to condemn the Monday sit-at-home in the East, Obi said he would continue to condemn wrongdoings in any part of the country and that he would not condone such in any guise. He said the overriding interest of Obi-Datti Presidency was to make Nigeria a better country, restore security and secure the future of the country through massive support for education.

However, Obi said that his tactics of fighting agitators would be different. Explaining, he said that he would consult, discuss and dialogue with them and find out the substance of their agitations. Insisting that even the most intractable problems in the world had been solved through dialogue, he said he would consider other options only after he had exhausted reason.

It will be recalled that that was exactly what he did when he became the Governor of Anambra State. Through dialogue, he was able to solve internal agitations within the state. In the case of NARTO (National Association of Road transport Organisation) , he called them severally for dialogue but only used force when they proved impervious to reason.

Meanwhile, the Media Office of Mr. Peter Obi has clarified the statement on Eastern Security Network (ESN), saying their principal was actually commenting on Ebubeagu Security Network formed by the Governors of the South-East to tackle rising insecurity in the region.