The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, has suggested that it is time for Nigerians to re-evaluate their assumptions as a nation.
He also revealed he was on the same page with his fellow citizens who rejected the present shameful conditions of the country but reaffirmed hope that a better Nigeria was possible.
Obi said this yesterday in a statement titled ‘“ At a time like this: My message to fellow Nigerians” to mark May 29, 2023, presidential inauguration in Abuja.
He described the occasion as a time for deep reflection and to “re-examine our assumptions, even as we reaffirm our hopes, review our aspirations, recalibrate our expectations, and pin down the causes of our missed opportunities and disappointments.”
Peter Obi noted that the country stood at that critical moment in time when, as a people, “we must collectively come to grips with the reality of our injured destiny as well as the reasons for that injury.
“It is for us to reassess our plight as a young democracy and identify clear pathways to a better and greater future for us all,” Obi said.
He explained that the conduct and outcome of the last general elections had showcased “the troubled state of our democracy” where a minority, indeed, a handful of partisans seemed satisfied with the conduct of the election and the results, while majority of Nigerian voters and many international observers remained confounded by the process and the outcome.
Obi, however, reiterated that though serious reservations had been expressed by a significant majority of stakeholders about the shortcomings of the elections, it was not for anyone to take the laws into his hands.
He said: “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 and ensure that such ideal remains noble and worth every sacrifice we can make.
The LP presidential candidate said he would not join the bandwagon in accepting the idea that people should just flow along, even though everything needed for responsible leadership, equity, sustainable development, and nationhood are missing.”
According to him, “I reject a nation where security, rule of law, and peaceful coexistence are on a steady decline.
“Why should we rank among the worst, globally, in the three most important indices that separate developed and undeveloped nations, namely education, health, and per capita income?
“It is from the indices regarding our human capital development, primary health care, and general development infrastructure that our beloved country got ranked as the poverty capital of the world.’
He explained further that it was because Nigeria needed good and focused leadership that he contested the February 25 presidential elections and sought the exalted office to end the current situation.
Obi reiterated his commitment, untiring zeal, and determination to work with like-minded fellow Nigerians to end the curse of missed opportunities and squandered hope that had become the nation’s lot.
While charging Nigerians, especially the youths, to remain steadfast, calm, patient, and peaceful, Obi said: “Our journey may be long and difficult, but it is worth it in every way because victory is assured.
