Anietie Udobit, Abuja
Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has said that he is more interested in Nigeria and its progress than forming a coalition just to grab power.
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Obi denied involvement in a coalition against the ruling President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress in 2027.
Speaking with newsmen on the sidelines of a two-day National Conference on Strengthening Democracy in Nigeria, Obi stated that what should be paramount to politicians should be the eradication of poverty, fixing public schools and hospitals, and security of lives and property.
He said, “Well, for me, what is important is let’s discuss Nigeria. Whether we are going to do a coalition… let’s talk about the future of the country, but often we abandon the country and what we need to do and talk about power grabs.
“I’m not interested in any coalition for the purpose of taking power. It is about discussing Nigeria. “How do we care about securing the Nigerians?
“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.”
Obi also called for concerted efforts to stop financial inducement in politics.
“That’s what we need to remove, because what you’re doing is that you’re encouraging stealing of public money.
“Because if I steal it and use it to win an election, then I get all the power and everything, including immunity not to be prosecuted. So we must stop it. That is what is driving the stealing.”