Mr Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the last general election, has joined the advocacy for the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), while expressing concerns about Nigeria’s governance.
Speaking to journalists at his residence in Onitsha, Anambra State, Obi described Nigeria as being on the brink of failure and emphasised the importance of upholding the rule of law.
He called on the federal government to release Nnamdi Kanu promptly, citing court rulings that granted him bail.
“My take on Nnamdi Kanu is that I don’t see any reason for his continued detention, especially as the courts have granted him bail.
“The government must obey the court. The rule of law is an intricate asset that we must cherish and live with,” Obi stated.
“I use this same opportunity to plead with the federal government to ensure that all those who are in similar conditions are released and discussed with.
“We are in a democracy, and we should not be doing things that are arbitrary and not within the law.”
“I want to use this opportunity to say that all those who are being held because of one protest or the other should be released.
“Whether it is freedom fighters, End Sars protesters, or even because of freedom of speech, be it journalists, let them all be released immediately.
“We are a democratic country, and people have rights under the constitution to express themselves freely. They also have the right to peaceful protest, and we must listen to them.
“We must listen to those who say they are not happy, that is why it is a democracy. We should stop acting dictatorial and behave as if this is not a democratic country.” He said.
He further lamented that the country is heading towards a failed state following various issues bedevilling it, especially the issue of insecurity and the failure of the government to tackle hardship.
“The primary duty of the government is the security of lives and property. It is the foundation on which people can live in any nation because no one can stay in an insecure place.
“It is worrisome what is happening in Nigeria with the news of killings, abductions, and others, which have made Nigeria one of the most insecure places on the surface of the earth. In fact, it is leading to a failed nation.
“This requires urgent attention of everybody. I thank the federal government for their efforts, but there is need to do more, and all leaders must come together to join hands and fight this.
“In the South East, there is a need for the governors of South East to come together to be able to tackle it. I’m saying this from the experience I had when we were there.”
Obi while speaking about what is happening in Kenya said he is against riots of any kind, adding that it would lead to chaos and may lead to destruction of lives and property.
“I’m against riots or the destruction of government assets and property because it is still scarce resources that we are going to use to repair them, but I’m not against peaceful protests.
“But it must be for a reason and not the personal interest of some people to satisfy a particular interest. It must be properly articulated and properly directed.
“I recall when people said they were protesting police brutality and I said to them no, let’s rather deal with the leadership.
“If we have good leaders, their agents can’t be bad. The problem is leadership. If the leaders are competent, have the capacity and are doing the right things, their agents will follow their examples.
The presidential candidate of the Labour Party further disclosed that he would be more focused on the welfare of suffering Nigerians instead of dwelling on the issue of the formation of a mega party ahead of the 2027 general election.
“I will rather say that I’m more particular about how the poor Nigerian can feed. I will rather talk about things that are affecting Nigerians today.
“We politicians are preoccupied with election, and that is not what I’m after. I’m talking about how do we reduce the price of food?
“Our people are dying of hunger, how do we make life more conducive for the poor Nigerians, how do we make our people earn more money, how do we pull people out of poverty? That should be our concern, and not forming a mega party.
“But if forming a mega party is to be able to provide all these things I have illustrated, then I’m all for it. But if it is for State capture, So that you can take power and continue with the consumption that we see today, I will say no. But if it is to move it to production, then I say yes.”
