Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, has responded to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s criticism, insisting that speaking the truth about Nigeria’s poverty and governance crisis does not amount to demarketing the country.
Obi’s response comes days after Sanwo-Olu accused him of lacking the moral right to speak on poverty in Nigeria, following comments Obi made during a public lecture at Johns Hopkins University in the United States.
Sanwo-Olu, in a statement titled “Factually Addressing Mr. Peter Obi’s Criticism of Nigeria at Johns Hopkins University,” accused the former Anambra State governor of making “disparaging comments” about the country, alleging that Obi’s tenure witnessed a rise in poverty levels in Anambra.
Reacting during the Memorial Lecture and Tributes held on Wednesday in honour of the late Pa Edwin Clark, Peter Obi dismissed the criticism against him, questioning the rationale behind blaming him for tarnishing Nigeria’s image when reputable international institutions have already confirmed the country’s dire economic condition.
“I spoke a few days ago and people said I’m demarketing Nigeria. When is truth being demarcated? The World Bank has just shown that 75% of Nigerians in rural areas are poor,” Obi said.
He added, “It’s the World Bank demarketing Nigeria. UNICEF two days ago released that Nigerians now have over 2 million malnourished children, the second highest in the world, and they’re demarcating Nigeria.”
“Let’s tell the reality. Their level is in vain. We have a country now that is not democratic. We are not a democratic country,” Obi continued.
He also criticised the recent local government election in Edo State, describing it as fraudulent.
“The election that happened in Edo State, is it democratic?
“Just the last election in Edo is the most undemocratic election. Everybody knows who won that election. So why are we keeping it and saying let your world go in vain?”
Obi lamented the state of governance and corruption in Nigeria, saying: “It is in vain. So we can start picking the pieces now because they’ve destroyed everything people have sacrificed for.
“Look at what is happening in Nigeria today. The country people sacrificed have turned into a crime scene. All we do today is stealing, stealing, stealing, stealing.”
Calling for courage and integrity in leadership, he said, “And we have to do something. All we need to do is live a courageous life.
“May God Almighty that calls him home grant him eternal rest and grant us the courage to look into what our father lived for and start picking our pieces.”
In his earlier remarks, Sanwo-Olu questioned Obi’s performance in office, saying poverty increased under his watch.
He also said President Bola Tinubu had done more to reduce poverty through educational investment and credit facilities for small businesses.
