By Dele Ogbodo
Invariably condemning the grinding hardship across the country, occasioned by the high rate of inflation, the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party banner in the 2023 presidential polls, Mr. Peter Obi, on Monday averred that Nigerians can only assess or rate President Bola Tinubu’s administration through going to the market to know what the prices of goods are.
Speaking at the sideline of the National Conference on Strengthening Democracy in Nigeria: Pathways to Good Governance and Political Integrity organized by the African Centre for Leadership and Development in collaboration with the Centre for Democracy and Development, WFD, PAACA and the National Peace Committee, he said it only appropriate for Nigerians to go the market, even as he said: “I don’t need to rate him for you.
“It is for you to rate him. If you go to market, then you rate it yourself. The issue of political party structures also came up during the discussion and that’s what democracy has brought to us and we must deal with it head on.
Asked on practical ways to strengthen the country’s democracy, Obi, said: “For me, what is important is let’s discuss Nigeria. Whether we are going to do coalition or not, let’s talk about the future of the country.
“Because often we abandon the country and what we need to do, talking about power grab, I’m not interested in any coalition if it is for the purpose of taking power.
He said, how do we care about securing Nigeria? Explaining further that it is about discussing Nigeria.
He asked: “How do we care about the common person in Nigeria? How do we care about our children being in school? That is the most important thing for now.
“So how do we address the issue of monetization of politics? That’s what we need to remove.
“Because what you are doing is that you are encouraging stealing of public money. Because if I steal it and use it to win the election, then I get all the powers and everything, including immunity, not to be prosecuted. So we must stop it.
“That is what is driving the stealing. The biggest takeaway from the Ghanian experience is that people should know that democracy is about the will of the people. People must be in charge.”
He acknowledged that politics and power is about serving the people and that is most critical.
He added: “What we say in these conversations have been on for quite a long time. I visit 15 schools where children don’t even have a lab, talk less of one computer.
On presentations at the conference, he added, that it is very clear what has been said that political parties in Nigeria don’t have members, stressing that there are only owners of political parties.
The core of democracy should start from the political parties where people respect and know that other people exist. It is not a place where you attack the process for your own benefit.” He added.
The conference attracted the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, represented by Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, the former Attorney General and Ministerr of Justice, Mr. Malami Abubakar SAN, Former Governors of Ekiti, Kwara States, Dr. Kayode Fayemi and Abdulfatah Ahmed, Mr. Bolaji Abdullahi, former Vice Presidential candidate, Mr. Ben Obi among several distinguished personslities.
