The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, has explained why he would not prioritise probing previous administration if he emerged president in 2023.
Obi said he won’t prioritise probing President Muhammadu Buhi’s administration is to avoid distractions.
The former Anambra State governor stated this on Friday in Abuja while formally unveiled Dr Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed as his running mate for the 2023 elections.
“As for probing the past government let me tell you, you see me argue it that you can’t close your shop and be chasing thieves. Those who only look at yesterday and today will miss tomorrow. God did not give us eyes at the back, mine is to look forward.
“If you come into government today and decide to stop the leakage first, you will get more. I am not going to be part of any form of victimization or witch-hunt, it won’t happen. Nigerians must live within law and order,” Obi said.
He added that many thought corruption was something impossible to deal with.
“But I can tell you right away if you the principal person, local government chairman, the governor or the president, are not stealing, your family is not, those around you are not, you will reduce it by 70 per cent.
“And I challenge everybody, go and show me anybody who was a contractor, who is a civil servant, who was a supplier, who will say in my eight years of being in government in Anambra State, I sat down with him and I said add one naira to this. I will resign I won’t continue with this (if it is true). That was why we were able to save about N70 billion naira.
“Go and read what my former Head of Service said. He wrote an article, ‘Stingeness as a development strategy’ because whatever money I saved when the civil servants were arguing with me, when I started paying them their dues, their leave allowance they started asking me where I got the money. Public money should be used for public good, ” Obi said.