Peter Obi has raised fresh concerns over Nigeria’s economic woes, urging the opposition to unite against bad governance.
The 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate spoke during the party’s National Executive Council meeting held at the Transcorp Hilton in Abuja on Wednesday, April 9.
He lamented the rising cost of living, growing poverty, and widespread hardship across the country, stating, “We must speak when things are wrong, Nigeria is collapsing, the numbers are clear, the indices are clear, more and more people are poorer.
“People who used to feed well are now begging, even in this hotel. Any time I enter this hotel, I see people telling me, ‘Oga, I came to Abuja, I can’t go back’.”
Obi continued, “Where I used to go that people ask me, ‘Oga will you eat? Will you drink?’ Nobody is asking me anything again. That shows you how bad it is. So, let us know that things are difficult, things are bad. Let us stand together and ensure that the right things, starting from our party, are done.”
READ ALSO: Obi, Otti Convene Labour Party NEC Meeting for April 9
The NEC meeting, chaired by former Finance Minister Nenadi Usman, came on the heels of a Supreme Court ruling that invalidated the Court of Appeal’s recognition of Julius Abure as the Labour Party’s national chairman.
Present at the meeting were Obi’s 2023 running mate, Datti Baba-Ahmed, Abia State Governor Alex Otti, and several senators and House of Representatives members.
Following the session, party leaders, led by Obi and Otti, marched to the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja, demanding official recognition of Nenadi Usman as the LP national chair.
They were received by INEC National Commissioner Sam Olumekun.
The Supreme Court, in a unanimous judgment last week, ruled that the Court of Appeal had no jurisdiction to declare Abure the national chairman, as the matter concerned internal party leadership—an issue the courts cannot decide.
It also ruled that Abure’s tenure had lapsed and upheld the appeal filed by Senator Ester Usman and another, while dismissing a cross-appeal by Abure’s faction for lacking merit.