2023 :Vote competence, not religion or ethnic, Obi tells Nigerians
By Angela Atabo
Ahead of the 2023 General Elections, the Presidential Candidate of Labour Party , Peter Obi has advised Nigerians to vote based on competence, character and capacity, not on religion or ethnicity.
Obi said this at a two days Leadership Retreat with the theme “Nigeria at a Crossroad: Labour Party the Only Option “ organised by Labour Party in Abuja .
According to him, the job of a leader is to solve problems and not to give excuses or blame other people.
He said if he becomes Nigeria president ,he would solve the challenges facing the country as a leader dedicated to serve and transform the nation.
He promised to sign a performance agreement with the Nigerian Labour Congress to make sure that ideas generated at the retreat were fully implemented.
“Enough is enough for the blame game, I won’t offer anybody any excuse.
“That is why election of next year will not be based on ethnicity, it will not be based on religion. There is no place Christians buy things cheaper. There is no place Muslims buy things cheaper.
“It will not be by my turn. It is nobody’s turn. It must not be by connection.
“Election next year must be based on character and trust, it must be based on competence.”
Obi said that the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike could have been solved by the money generated from the sale of oil in July alone, adding that more needed to be done to tackle the strike issue .
Obi while unveiling the party’s portal and free membership cards for citizens to join the party, said they were building a party where people would not have to borrow money to contest elections.
The Party’s National Chairman, Abure, said the retreat was aimed at reviewing the party’s successes and challenges, thereby designing the road map to win the 2023 elections.
Abure said that the nation was faced with so many challenges ranging from economic to insecurity.
He, however, said Labour Party had been given the opportunity to rise to the occasion and bring Nigeria back on the right track .
“Peter Obi’s emergence as presidential candidate has brought a lot of new registrants into our fold and transformed the 2023 context into a National Movement –“THE ObIdients”.
“The logo of our party is Father Mother and Child in a wheel. We believe in equal opportunity and social justice .
“The party specifically champions the rights of women, and all the oppressed in the society .”
Abure said that government under LP would work hand in hand with unions, civil servants and the private sector to rebuild Nigeria with its strong economic development strategy.
He said though the party had achieved a lot however, funding remained a major challenge but with the support of Nigerians the party’s logo would become well known.
The National President Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Mr Ayuba Wabba, said the party would tackle unemployment and corruption which he described as an organised crime against the Nigerian public.
Wabba urged workers to be ready to work to bring about good leadership in the country by supporting the Labour Party .
He also called on Nigerians to embrace the philosophy of the party and put family wellbeing first in choosing who would lead Nigeria in 2023.
Wabba urged Nigeria to work in all 774 local government areas to galvanise citizens to build a nation where everyone would benefit.
Mr Festus Osifo, President, Trade Union Congress (TUC) called on Nigerians to desist from voting for politicians based on ethnicity or religion.
Osifo said that such practice had not helped in anyway and would only continue to put citizens in bandage.
“All the politicians you have voted because of ethnicity or religion, has anything change afterwards? What have you benefited from it?”
He rather encouraged them to vote those that would work for the good of all citizens.