Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s (LP) presidential candidate, addressed ten key issues on Sunday night if he wins next year’s presidential election.
According to WITHIN NIGERIA, Obi stated this during a debate hosted by Arise Television in collaboration with the Centre for Development and Democracy (CDD) at the Transcorp Hilton in Abuja.
Other candidates at the event included Musa Kwankwaso of the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP), Ifeanyi Okowa of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Kola Abiola of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP). At the same time, the ruling APC flag bearer Bola Tinubu was conspicuously absent with no representation.
According to reports, the event nearly ended in a fracas when protests erupted over Okowa’s representation of PDP Presidential Candidate Atiku Abubakar.
Shortly before the meeting began, supporters of other presidential candidates demanded that Governor Okowa resign because the meeting was only for presidential candidates.
Governor Okowa stayed at the meeting after several appeals to calm frayed nerves and bring angry supporters to an agreement.
At the meeting, Peter Obi addressed many issues plaguing Nigeria, whose comments and figures were confirmed by a fact-checking team led by the Premium Times.
1. Concerning security issues
Peter Obi reiterated his earlier position that lifting people out of poverty is the most effective way to reduce crime.
He stated that Nigerians must avoid electing individuals who have previously failed to account for resources entrusted to their official care in 2023.
Obi stated that military experience was not required to address security challenges but rather a good understanding of the issues and the ability to apply the appropriate human and material resources for their immediate eradication.
2. On the unity of the President’s and Vice President’s offices
The former Anambra State governor stated that the President is the sole Commander-in-Chief, despite working as a family with the Vice President.
However, interchangeability is not automatic, so if the President is going overseas for an extended period of time, he must formally hand it over to his Vice President in writing.
3. Subsidies
Obi was emphatic on the issue of subsidies, stating that he would eliminate them while properly investing the saved revenue, even though he insisted that oil theft is an organized crime that heavily involves regulators.
4. Concerning borrowing
Peter Obi stated that he is not opposed to borrowing but that it must be used for production rather than consumption and that waste in government must be eliminated to increase revenue and manage the exchange rate.
5. In terms of economic diversification
Obi stated that the economy was already diverse, but that little attention had been paid to increasing output.
6. On power devolution
Obi stated that if elected President, women and youth would be the engine of his administration, and his record in Anambra State speaks for itself, as women held critical positions in his administration as governor, including the deputy governor, chief of staff, commissioners for finance and education, among others.
7. Agriculture
Borno State has very low agricultural production concerning its large land mass, but he promised to prioritise this.
8. Concerning Power
Obi stated that the production capacity is 12000 kW but that this cannot be effectively transmitted because the transmission capacity is limited to 6000 kW. He then declared war on the power sector, promising to expand transmission infrastructure.
9. Concerning flood control
Obi stated that it was not impossible to effectively check if Egypt had made much progress in flood control, with a much larger flood potential. The solution, he stated, lies in a reappraisal of dredging and channelling solutions, many of which had been articulated in the past, but the funds were wasted on corruption.
10. Wealth generation
Obi described himself as a wealth creator in both his private and public life, and he promised to follow the same principle if elected President.