Innocent Raphael
The Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, on Sunday said Nigerian youths cannot wait to take back the leadership of the country from ‘Criminal racket’.
Obi said this at an event with the theme: “Redefining Our Options and Consolidating our Legacies”, organized by Obidient support groups in Abuja.
The event was organized to coincide with the 1st anniversary of the February 25th, 2023 Presidential Elections.
Obi, in his speech titled, ‘Tribute to Hope’ acknowledged the doggedness and firm resolve of the youths in taking the mantle of changing their destiny and the direction of Nigeria in the election.
“They cannot wait to take back their country from those who regard national leadership as a criminal racket,” he said.
He also hailed what he referred to as the ‘abiding faith and solidarity of all those Nigerians who supported the Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign and the Labour Party through the campaigns and the elections.
Obi said, “ I also salute the patriotism and freedom of choice of those who may not have supported or voted for us.
“I salute your courage and tenacity. Together, we made the courageous statement that a new, more prosperous, more united Nigeria is not only possible but also within reach of all Nigerians.
“You braved the odds, you defied the pessimism of nay-sayers, you made incredible sacrifices and clung to the stubborn belief that this land is our country and that its future is ours to shape for our common good and the good of posterity.”
He however decried the fact that Nigerians were being haunted in frightening forms as most of the fears expressed by the people during and after the election were manifesting.
“In the twelve months since that election, most of the fears we expressed for our nation if we went the way of the old politics have come to haunt us in frightening forms.
“We may have lost an election but we have won a moral victory of epic proportions. All the worst fears that we warned might happen have all been playing out,” he said.
The former Governor also pointed out various loopholes in the present state of the economy, as he highlighted and acknowledged that Nigerians were going through different forms of hardship, while offering his sympathy and assuring of a better future for all.
“Our national economy has been driven into perhaps the worst state in all of our national life. The population of those classified as multi-dimensionally poor has climbed astronomically to over 80% of our population.
“Similarly, unemployment is galloping, for a predominantly youthful population, this scenario is dire and frighteningly dangerous.
“The hunger protests have united our people across ethnicity, language, region, faith, and location. This is another confirmation of our belief that Nigerians are united by the circumstances of their living conditions, not by artificial barriers raised by opportunistic politicians. We are now one people under hunger.”
“Just yesterday, I read with sadness, the reports of how a massive crowd besieged the Zonal Office of the Nigerian Customs in Yaba to purchase the discounted 25kg rice offered by the Customs Service.
“In the course of the heavy stampede that ensued, some lives were lost. It is heartbreaking to think that despite all the wealth of our nation, Nigerians are losing their lives in their desperate quest to buy food cheaper, in the face of the growing hunger and starvation in the country.”
“Despite our current problems and setbacks as a nation, I am glad to reassure our supporters and compatriots that there is nothing in our dark experiences that has dampened my resolve and optimism in the possibility of the New Nigeria that we all strove so hard a year ago to enthrone.
“ And nothing has happened to discourage my resolve or optimism about the goals we fought for. A greater, more compassionate, more prosperous, and more equitable New Nigeria is possible,” he said.
