2027: Politicians Must Close Ranks To Shape Future Of Nigeria — Obi

Peter Obi, the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 elections, has stressed the importance of Nigerian politicians coming together to shape the country’s future. Obi made the call on Thursday in Bauchi, shortly after meeting with the Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed.

Obi explained that unless well-meaning politicians unite to address the challenges facing Nigeria, the country would continue to stagnate economically, socially, and politically.

He said, “It is not for ourselves again, we are coming together for the future of our broad society where our children would live in.” Obi emphasized that significant time had been wasted in the country and now was the time to invest in critical sectors like education, health, agriculture, and poverty alleviation, which have been plaguing Nigerians.

On the reason for his visit to Bauchi, Obi revealed that he was consulting with Governor Mohammed, who is the chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum, regarding the country’s future. Obi added that the meeting would be an ongoing dialogue to address the country’s challenges.

“I have told the governor today, that the North is a critical component, if we are going to get it right in this country,” Obi said, highlighting the importance of addressing issues in the North. He also noted that poverty was a key driver of criminality in Nigeria. “Until you solve poverty, you can’t talk about criminality,” he said.

Obi pointed out the vast potential in agriculture to transform the Nigerian economy, particularly in the North, where there are large areas of uncultivated land. He stressed that addressing poverty would have a direct impact on reducing crime and improving national well-being.

“We need education. We need to care about their health,” Obi said, expressing his frustration that political discussions were often focused on trivial matters rather than addressing the country’s real challenges like hunger, poverty, and the education sector.

Governor Mohammed, in his remarks, echoed Obi’s sentiment about the need for politicians to unite for the good of the country. He emphasized the importance of closing ranks to provide good governance and promised to work with Obi for a better Nigeria.

Describing Obi as a leader of the opposition with significant influence and credibility, Governor Mohammed stated, “I am ready to work with Peter Obi, and to make sure we come together, we close ranks and bring good governance to the country.”

He also underscored that their collaboration was focused on rescuing the country from what he called mediocre leadership. “Our coming together is a message, and the message is going to resonate,” Mohammed said, indicating support from fellow governors for this initiative. He assured that the partnership would continue to grow and lead to meaningful progress.

“We are very grateful to Governor Peter Obi for coming here, and we will take it up and take it further in a manner that going forward, you will see more of this outing between us and Governor Obi, PDP governors, and PDP as a party,” he concluded.