Ahead of what is expected to be his party’s last presidential campaign rally, officially billed to hold on February 18th this month, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, has called on all Nigerians who mean well for the country to see Nigeria as their first object of loyalty instead of political party affiliations.
Consequently, Obi implored that every true Nigerian of goodwill, home and abroad, who was still undecided about filing behind his presidential ticket with his running-mate Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, should break the chains of party loyalty to embrace country loyalty and support him in a united determination to take back Nigeria and bring to public governance what he described as “the broadest latitudes and dividends of good governance to Nigerians, irrespective of tribe, religion and political parties.”
In a media statement in Abuja on Friday which was simultaneously and electronically shared to journalists of state capital chapels across the country through the Head of National Publicity, Contact & Mobilization Team of the Labour Party Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign Council, Comrade Tony Akeni Le Moin, Mr. Peter Obi stated:
“Where we are today on the cusp of catastrophic economic woes and hardship, traumatic social crimes and insecurity upheavals which comprehensively threaten our existence and wellbeing as a country, we must all come to the quick understanding that Nigeria and not political party is supreme.
“I hereby appeal to all Nigerians especially politicians, organized labour unions, the media, the business community and academic castles of our country to do away with the self-centered jungle cliché and ill-motivated political philosophy that says party is supreme.
“When a nation is at war – and make no mistake about it, Nigeria is at war in multiple fronts of social-political and economic calamity – country must come first. Not political parties, not feel-good exclusive religious orders or feel high insulated social class affiliations.
The Labour Party presidential candidate, who is increasingly becoming the runaway poster boy of modern Africa’s politics, took time to express gratitude to supporters from different political party backgrounds who had courageously and openly staked their support for his Presidential bid under the banner of the Labour Party.
In Obi’s words, “Across the 36 states and Abuja FCT, there are many good Nigerians who have damned the consequences of crossing party lines to support Datti, the Labour Party and I in the clarion and single-mindedness of purpose to say ordinary everyday Nigerians must take their country back. These folks have joined us to say Nigeria is worth dieing for, worth saving, worth uniting, worth rebuilding, and that the hour to do is now. They come from both the dominant political parties, APC and PDP, as well as lesser ones in size as ADC, SDP, NNPP and others.
I want to assure all such sincere patriots that by the time, through God’s essential grace, we are are sworn in and the new Nigeria of our architecture takes off, you will tell yourselves that this is the most noble political decision you have ever made in your lives.
“As for millions more of good Nigerians who are still delaying behind your party camps and struggling with yourselves as to whether to remain in those dark apartheid political parties or to step out and join us in our mission to rescue this great lovely country, let me assure you that I hear your whispers of confusion and indecision daily wherever I am. I hereby urge you to hesitate no more but to break out of the prison walls of your political party camps and file behind our Labour Party train with your PVCs. I cannot wait to receive and embrace you.
“When a house is burning, you keep moving. When you are sitting by a drum of petrol in a burning house, just because a delicious meal is being served in its kitchen, it is unwise to hide behind the drum of petrol in the hope that the house’s inferno will not find you. That is what you are doing whilst inside the APC or PDP.
“Nigeria is burning. And one way or the other, sooner or later, unless we come together as one big firefighting crew to take our country back, its fires of insecurity, banditry and social-economic terrorism sweeping through our country and consuming our people will find you and will not spare you.”
Obi went on in the statement, “As you are aware, the Obi-dient support universe who are the live wire of our campaigns throughout the federation since our very foundation, which began with my joining the Labour Party on May 30, 2022, our supporters come from different backgrounds of social-economic philosophy. They re-baptised into the consciousness of fire-on-the-mountain urgency to save their fatherland through united devotion and sense of mission. To each and everyone of them Datti and I are inexpressibly and eternally grateful.
“My running-mate Sen. Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed and I are very proud of and have always been open-minded about this great, variegated political family that we have come to be, a first in organic political movement, liberational metamorphosis and revolution of the mind in Nigeria, and may be entire Africa. We are hereby appealing to you that our doors are wide open for you to join us with your PVC today.
“In the face of the dangers we live in today as a result of gross leadership deficits, you must urgently do away with the philosophy that party is supreme. It is a bad notion which prevents those of you remaining good men, women and youths in APC, PDP and other parties from joining their hands with us to rescue our common country from her multi-prong layers of ills. So, reject that unhelpful, exploitative notion and as the Holy One of the Holy Book says, come out of the unclean thing! Not party is supreme but it is Nigeria that is supreme and superior to every entity within her boundaries.
“I hereby call on all ObiDient Nigerians and PVC battalions of our Labour Party to reach out a handshake of fellowship to fellow youths and voters of all ages who are still in the other tried, tested but disastrously failed political parties to hop over party walls and join us build a new Nigeria together,” the Labour Party presidential flag bearer said.
While presenting his principal’s paper to the media, the Head of National Publicity, Comrade Tony Akeni, also responded to a piece of information that had reached a section of the press the previous day.
The media had gathered that a major political summit by ethnic nationalities, NGOs and ex-militant forums of the Niger Delta was underway, seeking the presidential candidates of various political parties to address the region on aching developmental challenges before the closing presidential campaign dates of respective political parties.
The regional conference, which the media learnt was shaping out to be the mother of all political townhall meetings since the ongoing 2023 election campaigns began, would take place in a three-day spread for the frontline political parties.
Scanty details reaching the press indicated that the Tompolos, Asari Dokubos, His Royal Majesty Ateke Tom and others of the genre of the Niger Delta struggle would be leading their troops of ex-militant agitators to the conference while the Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) and leaders of various ethnic nationalities headed by key figures such as Chief EK Clarke, Chief Joe Omene, TK Wilhelm Ogoriba, Ledum Mitee of Ogoni and royal fathers from various states would lead the elders college of the region to the conference.
It is further understood that during the conference which shall hold under the theme “Niger Delta Industrial Rebirth: a Region in Search of Visionary Leadership Forward,” the presidential candidates of each political party would each have their hour to tell the region what they would do differently to turn the golden goose nest of Nigeria’s oil and gas wealth to Dubai, stimulate employment liberation for the region’s teeming youth populations and why the region should queue behind their presidential ticket.
Responding to enquiries on the willingness of his Labour Party principal Peter Obi to honour invitation to the summit, Comrade Tony Akeni admitted that he had heard whispers of the planned summit but had not been fully briefed by the party’s leadership.
He stated, “Let me assure you, however,” that our principal Mr. Peter Obi has legendary respect, marrow deep compassion and empathy for the sufferings and denials of true growth and development of the Niger Delta people. A pathetic situation for
65 years since 1958 when crude oil exploration in commercial quantity began in our country. He echoed this much in his iconic address at the South-South Business summit of the Labour Party which held only recently, precisely on January 28, at the Presidential Hotel in Port Harcourt.
“I have no doubt that not only His Excellency Peter Obi but our entire Labour Party will show our respect by honouring such important invitation by the region whenever such event comes up.” Comrade Akeni concluded.