Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 elections, has criticised President Bola Tinubu, asserting that more Nigerians have slipped into poverty under the current administration.
Former Anambra State governor, Obi, remarked that President Tinubu should be recognised in the Guinness Book of World Records for inflicting the most hardship on Nigerians in the country’s history.
As you may remember, Tinubu recently boasted that his achievements in the nation since taking office should earn him a spot in the Guinness World Records.
Speaking to Vanguard in an interview, Obi highlighted the prolonged suffering endured by Nigerians since President Tinubu assumed office on May 29, 2023.
In response to Tinubu’s recent statement claiming deserving recognition in the Guinness World Records for his political and economic achievements, Obi countered, stating, “He may actually be correct when he claims that his name deserves to be in the Guinness World Records. Don’t forget that people’s names don’t always make it into the Guinness World Records for only altruistic reasons.”
“So, it depends on which angle he is coming from. If the idea is to put his name in the Guinness Book of Records for causing Nigerians the most hardship—untold hardship—of course, he is spot on, and I will totally agree with him because his reforms are not achieving what they are meant to achieve.
“Well, for me, the biggest lesson (from the 2023 general elections) is the fact that Nigerians are actually committed to good governance. They are not as complacent as people thought they were because they, especially the youths, were actually committed to doing the right thing. That is why they came out in their numbers to participate in the elections.
“The second lesson is the realisation that the leaders and most people in the elite class are not actually interested in good governance because you can classify the electoral umpire as part of the elite class, the government, and all of us are not prepared to do the right thing because if the elites were prepared to do the right thing, the result or outcome of the election would have been different.
“But for me, the elections have come and gone, and I don’t want to talk about the issue of the 2023 elections again. It has come and gone, and I am done with it. What I am talking about now are issues of governance because the average Nigerian today is talking about the Nigeria of today and the Nigeria of tomorrow. That is what is important.”
Speaking on the economic situation of the country, the Labour Party presidential candidate said:
“The truth is that we have many more Nigerians thrown into poverty; millions of Nigerians don’t know where their next meal will come from. Nobody is sure what the price of a cup of rice, garri, or loaf of bread will be tomorrow. So, it is Nigerians who should ask the question.
“It is not a question for me to answer. It is not something I alone will tell you. Ask Nigerians and the masses out there on the streets of Nigeria, and you will get a feel for what they are going through. But I know that the situation is critical.”
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