The Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has said that his visit to Egypt is very expository and preparatory.
Peter Obi who was speaking during an interview with Voice of the People Fm on Sunday said that his visit is based on his understanding that “if you’re aspiring to lead, that’s the time you need to study and know what you are going to do. If there’s an example anywhere globally, you go there to learn.”
Peter Obi stated that his choice of Egypt is because they’re one of the countries with the fastest deployment of power globally, alongside Vietnam and India.
“Egypt moved their power from about 20,000MW to 58,000MW between 2015 and 2020, that’s 5 years, while Nigeria as a country was able to generate 1000MW in the 60s, 60 years after, they can’t generate above 4,000MW, that shows a crisis.
“If Egypt could move their generation by 30,000MW in 5 years and Nigeria could do only 4, 000 in 60 years, you need to go and learn what they did. I went there, I was taken round the facility, met the company that did it, went to the ministry, met the power holding company chief, met the people in the ministry, above all, met those who provided the finance. I now know its easy within a period of 5 years to move power generation, distribution and transmission from where we’re today to 15,000 to 20,000MW.”
Obi recalled that this isn’t his first time of visiting a working nation when aspiring for public office.
“When I was campaigning to be Governor, I visited Bangladesh for the first time, to learn how they dealt with the poor, took people out of poverty and know what they’re doing about education.
I did the same thing in rural India and found out that when we’re busy building mansions for leaders, they were building rural roads to give people access to bring agricultural produce they can sell and make money. Go and ask anybody as Governor of Anambra State, every part of Anambra was connected by rural roads and bridges, that’s what I learnt. That’s what I’m doing again. I went to Egypt to learn with my own resources.”
Peter Obi also revealed that he has been talking to local engineers about it too.
Obi also stated that he is getting ready for the job so he won’t complain about his predecessors when he assumes office like Nigerian leaders do, stressing that it’s not the job of a leader to complain but to show leadership.
“When you vote people in here, the next thing, they will start telling you is that what we saw, when we came in, or start blaming the person they took over from.
“As a leader, when you’re elected, you are meant to be in charge, you’re not meat to complain. The job of a leader isn’t to complain nor give excuses. It’s for you to solve problems.”
Former Anambra State governor Peter Obi is inspiring a powerful, social media-enabled, youth-led political tidal wave that will radically change the contours of the 2023 election.
But APC and PDP operatives, still inebriated with the overconfidence of the size and deep pockets of their parties, are sniggering at the suggestion that Peter Obi’s Labour Party will change the game next year. They comfort themselves with the mantra that there are no polling booths on social media where Peter Obi’s devotees form noisy cyber silos.
Well, there is no opponent more dangerous than an underestimated one. People who are habituated to the politics of the past may dismiss it, but something fundamentally novel is happening. There’s an unstoppably growing corps of fired-up young (and not-so-young) people who are investing their time, energy, and emotions in Peter Obi. We have seen spectacular spikes in PVC registration and an increase in offline political mobilization, all thanks to him.
Three factors appear to be driving this. One, there is mass disillusionment with the quality and character of the presidential candidates of the two major parties. They are the same woefully familiar, recycled, unimaginative, self-interested, careerist politicians who are deeply invested in sustaining the dysfunctions that keep Nigeria in the twilight zone between life and death.
They mouth the same flyblown clichés, can’t articulate any grand visions, are indistinguishable from past politicians, have no commitment to any grand ideals, and are in politics to steal from the public till and dispense favors to cronies.
Peter Obi seems to be different. He comes across as down-to-earth, self-aware, committed to transparency and the demystification of governance, and as someone who invests considerable intellectual energies into thinking about— and offering solutions to— Nigeria’s problems.
I am dubious of the facticity of some of his more self-righteous, messianic claims, and suspect that he sometimes hyperbolizes some of the too-good-to-be-true anecdotes about his time as Anambra State governor in order to gain the applause of his audiences.
As a scholar of rhetorical studies, I know that rhetors can sometimes feel an obligation to not violate the expectations of their captive audiences by telling stories that their audiences want to hear even if this means bending or sexing up the facts a little bit.
Nonetheless, compared to Atiku Abubakar and Bola Tinubu, Peter Obi is a breath of fresh air.
The second impetus for the dramatic surge in Obi’s political profile is religious. Many Christians in both the South and the North feel excluded from the presidential tickets of the APC and the PDP. Churches all across Nigeria are drumming up support for Obi in protest.
I think this is legitimate in the interest of representational justice, particularly because Obi isn’t some pastor with a predetermined agenda to advance narrow religious or sectarian causes.
Although Obi is a devout Catholic, he is thoroughly secular and, based on some of his speeches I’ve watched, has a deep understanding of the imperative of separating the sacred and the profane in the business of governance.
The third driver of his popularity is Igbo resentment at their systemic political exclusion. In my April 2, 2022, column titled “Why Nigeria Needs an Igbo President in 2023,” I wrote:
“The Igbo are almost in the same spot that the Yoruba were in in 1998. There is mass resentment among them. Several of them feel emotionally disconnected from Nigeria. And we all know why. Apart from the fact that they have never produced a president or vice president since 1999, Muhammadu Buhari has done an extremely poor job of husbanding Nigeria’s intricate diversity.
“The sense of alienation that a vast swath of Igbo people feel now has made several of them, particularly their youth, susceptible to the murderous wiles of the mentally and emotionally disturbed mountebank called Nnamdi Kanu.”
Some of the secessionist oxygen that sustained Biafra agitation has now been redirected to Peter Obi, and Nnamdi Kanu has now been pushed on the backburner. While some people have put a negative spin to this, I think it is a golden opportunity. It shows that an Igbo presidency will solve the secessionist agitations and violence in the Southeast. For me, that’s a worthwhile reward for having a president who is Igbo.
Incidentally, in the April 2 column I referred to earlier, Peter Obi was one of two Igbo people I recommended as candidates for the presidency. The other was Kingsley Moghalu who sadly lost the primary election of his party.
I wrote: “The second is Peter Obi. In a March 25, 2022, article titled ‘Peter Obi: Applying to Be Driver of a Knocked-Out Car,’ I mentioned that listening to his speeches has captured my imagination. He appears to have a handle on Nigeria’s problems, and what I’ve read of his record as governor of Anambra State inspires some confidence that he isn’t just a talker. I can’t speak to his cosmopolitanism and commitment to seeing all of Nigeria as his constituency. That’s up to voters to find out.”
If Obi’s political momentum holds steady until February next year and the election is free and fair, I predict that he will cause a runoff. If he leads with the youth, Igbo, and Christian votes (I know there’s an overlap in some categories), he will upset both the APC and the PDP to the point that none of them can win in the first round of the presidential election.
If he doesn’t win or qualify to participate in the runoff, whoever he supports will be the winner. So, an intelligent political party won’t antagonize him or his supporters just yet.
But there are dangers for Obi, though, should he somehow defeat the structural impediments on his way to become president. First, his devotees call themselves “Obidients” and demand “Obidience” to him. That’s horrible. They would be worse than Buhari’s BMC trolls.
What is needed in democracy is critical citizenship, not “obidience.” “Obidience” in democracy suggests a surrender of one’s critical faculty, which is what precisely what Buharism is. It’s the death knell of democracy.
Obi’s rise to political stardom is propelled by anger at the political establishment. That’s the literal definition of populism. Populism instrumentalizes anger for politics without being able to transform the lives of the angry in any meaningful way.
Obi’s devotees imagine him to embody the solutions to Nigeria’s problems and expect him to wave the magic wand and make them disappear. As he himself admitted in a previous public appearance, Nigeria’s problems are structural and systemic and can’t be resolved with a mere change of the personnel in the corridors of power.
If his presidency violates the expectations of his devotees, they will turn against him. In other words, he is riding the tiger of populism, and it will devour him when he dismounts from it.
Presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Rabiu Kwankwaso, has confirmed that there’s ongoing talks for a possi2 coalition involving his party and Peter Obi’s Labour Party (LP).
“We are really talking to Peter Obi, or at least saying that the committee is working to look into the matter (and cooperate with him), and friends and family are coming to talk to us about it,” Mr Kwankwaso told BBC Hausa Saturday morning.
In the interview with BBC, Mr Kwankwaso argued that their collaboration was especially important as the All Progressive Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had not fielded an Igbo vice-presidential candidate.
The are reports that the former Kano State governor will team up with his former Anambra counterpart, become the Vice Presidential candidate to challenge the two major political parties in the country.
The development was also confirmed by the NNPP via their official twitter account.
We wish to inform Nigerians that, our discussions with @PeterObi and the #LabourParty are still ongoing. Special committee was set to discuss arrangements.
“We hope for good results that will give Nigeria a chance to be alive, once again,” they tweeted.
While LP announced a placeholder for the position of its vice presidential candidate in the person of Doyin Okupe, its not yet clear whom the NNPP submitted the electoral umpire.
The leader of one of the criminal gangs terrorising Anambra State under the guise of unknown gunmen, has been killed during a clash with another armed group.
The leader of one of the groups; Lion Group whose identity was revealed as Innocent Obieke popularly known as ‘Double Lion’, was gunned down by a rival group in a struggle for supremacy.
The state police public relations officer, Ikenga Tochukwu, who confirmed the killing of the terror gang leader, said he was neutralised by another rival criminal gang that also terrorises the state, while assuring residents of the state that their officers are at alert.
The Anambra State Police Command have reinforced ihiala and its environs following a trending video of SUV’s and Hilux vehicles carrying young men that are welding arms to yet unidentified location.
Information from eyewitness account shows that violent clash ensued between two criminal gang and further details confirmed the killing of one Innocent Obieke aka double lion and three others.
Double lion has been on police wanted list and has featured in attacks on police formations, military locations and other government infrastructure.
“Meanwhile, Police patrol is ongoing in the area and the situation is being monitored,” DSP Ikenga said.
However, there’s another story that the hoodlums where killed at a burial ceremony in the Ihiala area of the state on Friday.
Reports said that the unknown gunmen had stormed the burial ceremony on the claims that they were not ‘settled’ (given money before the event).
The unknown gunmen were however ambushed by the Ihiala security outfit, already stationed in and around the burial area. In the ensuing gun battle, so many casualties were reportedly recorded on the part of the gunmen.
“They started shooting without knowing that security men had been stationed at all the entrances. So they took the battle to them in all directions, and there was no way to escape. There were mass casualties against the unknown gunmen,” a voice in the video was heard saying.
The source further noted that when Shooting became so intense back ups were mobilized from neighbouring Okija and Amorka, security reportedly joined in reinforcement.
The voice note further pointed out that the gunmen were not members of ESN, as nothing of such was found on them.
It noted that the gunmen have been a torn in the flesh of the people terrorizing Ihiala, Okija, Ozoubulu, Oraifite, Ukpor, Iseke.
Finally, the Catholic Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Bishop Calistus Onaga has welded the big stick on the Spiritual Director of Adoration Ministry, Enugu, Nigeria, Rev Fr Ejike Mbaka over his recent utterances, restricting attendance by Catholic faithfuls.
Mbaka had during one of his services, descended on Mr. Peter Obi of the Labour Party, accusing him of being stingy and went on to say that he will never win the presidency.
In a letter he personally signed, addressed to ‘All the Clery, Religious and Lay Faithful in the Catholic Diocese of Enugu’, Bishop Onaga banned them from having anything to do with the Adoration Ministry.
Onaga in the letter, lamented that Mbaka have refused to heed to the Church’s persistent directives, “and in fulfillment of my pastoral duties as the Chief Shepherd”, “I hereby prohibit all Catholics (clergy, religious and lay faithful) henceforth from attending all religious and liturgical activities of the Catholic Adoration Ministry until the due canonical process initiated by the Diocese is
The Bishop also said that his decision is based on the fact that some of the teachings of Mbaka “are not consistent with the teachings and faith of the Catholic Church,” and called on the church to continue praying for him and the Diocese.
“In the light of the happenings in the Catholic Adoration Ministry Chaplaincy Enugu: capable of undermining the Catholic faith and teachings; and after several fraternal corrections and admonitions to Fr. Camillus Ejike Mbaka, the Chaplain of the Ministry: and after having given him pastoral directives and guidelines for the Ministry Chaplaincy, which he persistently violated; and in fulfilment of my pastoral duties as the Chief Shepherd with the obligation to promote and safeguard the Catholic faith and morals in Enugu Diocese, I hereby prohibit all Catholics (clergy, religious and lay faithful) henceforth from attending all religious and liturgical activities of the Adoration Ministry until the due canonical process initiated by the Diocese is concluded.
“My decision is based on the fact that some of the teachings and utterances of Fr Camillus Ejike Mbaka at the Catholic Adoration Ministry are not consistent with the teachings and faith of the Catholic Church.
“I enjoin all the Christian Faithful to keep praying for Fr. Mbaka and the Catholic Diocese of Enugu as I entrust him and the Diocese to the maternal care and protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of the Apostles.”
The Labour Party has submitted the name of Doyin Okupe as Peter Obi’s running mate.
It was learnt that Okupe’s name was submitted as part of the plan to beat the Friday June 17 deadline given by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to political parties.
Mr Okupe told Peoples Gazette on Friday evening that Mr Obi picked him because he found him worthy to serve.
“Yes, I am the vice-presidential candidate of our party because I was found worthy by the candidate and the party to serve,” he said.
Okupe, who is the Director-General of Peter obi Campaign will be the place holder and would later be changed after the party stakeholders must have agreed on the suitable vice presidential candidate for the 2023 elections.
Recall that the party had said its Vice President will come from the North
Barr. Julius Abure, Labour Party Chairman, had said although the decision lies with Peter Obi, ”the party’s choice of a Vice President will most likely come from the Northern region.”
As a true servant of God that understands that the voice of people sometimes is the voice of God, Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka, the spiritual Director of Adoration Ministry, Enugu, Nigeria, has blessed the presidential aspiration of former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi.
In a statement personally signed by him, Mbaka said he was misunderstood and as a “servant of God” his “intention is not to malign His Excellency, Peter Obi’s image, but to pray for him.”
While appealing to Obi’s teaming supporters, the fiery Cleric said: “I give my blessings to the supporters of His Excellency Peter Obi. In any way they feel offended by my utterances or however I was misunderstood by them, I ask for their understanding and forgiveness.
“I am not in any political party but I support good people and good governance. Any good person that God can give us is my choice candidate. I am a servant of God; For the sake of peace, I ask for forgiveness in any way I am misunderstood. And to Peter Obi himself, I ask God to bless him and manifest his will in his life. When God says Yes, who can say No? And when God says No, who can say Yes? I bless Peter Obi and pray for him. I bless my dear fellow Adores and pray for them. I bless the people of God everywhere and I pray that it shall be well with you all.”
He reminded the youths that they’re “the same youths I am praying for, sacrificing for, fighting for, speaking for and working for their integral well being. What the youths are passing through and their conditions give me sleepless nights,” and assured them that he will always be part of their struggles.
Mbaka also said that for “some Spiritual reasons, there will be no all night Adoration program today,17th June 2022.
Meanwhile all adores are asked to convene on Sunday 19th June 2022 for our usual 10 am Mass and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Fellowship.”
Read the full statement below:
I am grateful to God for His unquantifiable and favourable blessings, miracles, love and life for the Adoration Ministry, Enugu, Nigeria. I assure the people of God and Nigerians that I am praying for Good Governanace and Good Leadership in this country and that God will give us leaders after His own Heart.
As it stands right now, it is obvious that Nigeria is passing through an indescribable insecurity, inestimable unemployment, massive corruption, heinous crimes and unbearable suffering engendered by bad leadership. I bear with my fellow country men and women in whatever we are passing through in this trying time. I call on the adorers and the entire people of God to join hands in praying that God will deliver us from the plans of the devil and it’s wicked agents.
I am a servant of God and my intention is not to malign His Excellency, Peter Obi’s image, but to pray for him. May God’s will be done in his life. I pray to God whom I serve to give our beloved people good and excellent leaders who will take care of them and lead them to the promised land. Anyone who God wishes to make our Leader is my choice. In this vein, I give my blessings to the supporters of His Excellency Peter Obi. In any way they feel offended by my utterances or however I was misunderstood by them, I ask for their understanding and forgiveness. As a servant of the Most High God, I pray that it shall be well with my people. I am an ardent supporter of Good Governance, Justice, Equity, Love and Godliness.
At this time our people are passing through the valleys of shadows of death (Ps23.4), I pray for peace, love and anything that will bring blessings and favour to our people and to our suffering teaming youths. I will always stand with you in all your ordeals. God will take care of you and bless you miraculously for me.
My intention is not to fight or malign Mr.Peter Obi. He is my friend and remain my friend and brother I love him and I wish him Success May God bless him and his good supporters. God’s will be done in his political endeavours (Mk.14:36). The followers of Peter Obi are the same youths I am praying for, sacrificing for, fighting for , speaking for and working for their integral well being. What the youths are passing through and their conditions give me sleepless nights. It is for this reason that I yearn for good governance and worthy leaders that will take care of them. We are passing through indescribable ,unbearable and undeserved hardship in this country.
I pray for Divine intervention.
I am not in any political party but I support good people and good governance. Any good person that God can give us is my choice candidate. I am a servant of God; For the sake of peace, I ask for forgivensss in any way I am misundrrstood. And to Peter Obi himself, I ask God to bless him and manifest his will in his life. When God says Yes, who can say No? And when God says No, who can say Yes? I bless Peter Obi and pray for him. I bless my dear fellow Adores and pray for them. I bless the people of God everywhere and I pray that it shall be well with you all.
For the sake of those who were gruesomely killed on Pentecost Sunday at St St. Francis Xavier parish Owo, Ondo State who are being buried today, there will be no all-night Adoration program today,17th June 2022. We join the entire Catholic Church to mourn their demise. May their souls and the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in Perfect Peace. Amen.
Meanwhile, all adorers are asked to convene on Sunday 19th June 2022 for our usual 10 am Mass and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Fellowship. Thank you and God bless you
The Labour Party Presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, has debunked the rumour making the round that he has replied to the Enugu-based Catholic Priest, Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka, for calling him a stingy and a cursed man.
BVI Channel 1 online gathered that Fr. Mbaka, has declared that Mr Peter Obi, can never be President of Nigeria for being a stingy man.
Mbaka made the declaration at his Adoration Ministry, Enugu State, Nigeria.
He said unless God ceases to exist, Obi would never smell the seat of the President.
He said it was better to have an old man as President than a ‘stingy young man’.
However, Obi, in a release made available to BVI Channel 1 Online on Wednesday night by his media aide, Valentine Obienyem, said Mr Peter Obi did not and is not planning to issue any reply.
According to the release; Our attention has been drawn to a statement credited to Mr Peter Obi as his reply to Fr. Ejike Mbaka.
We wish to state for the record that Mr Peter Obi did not and is not planning to issue any reply.
We advise that any medium trying to publish such an unsigned letter should clarify its authenticity from Mr Obi’s Media Office.
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The opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has unveiled the running mate to its presidential candidate.
Unveiling his running mate, Atiku Abubakar said he held wide consultation with their party leaders, including the Governors and other other stakeholders.
Atiku said the following qualities was considered:
The person must have a presidential quality to step into my shoes when I’m not around, understand the critical place of education in our modern society.
My running mate must understand that development will be impossible without security, thus, he must stand with me as I confront the dangerous trend of insecurity.
He must also not symbolise a unifier but must also work with me in uniting the country and must not be afraid to speak his mind. He must be ready to start working with me from day one as I will not accept anything less.
“I have sort the support of the PDP in choosing the running mate that meets the above qualities or all of them.”
The chosen candidate is the current Governor of Delta state, Ifeanyi Okowa.
Atiku said Okowa has the needed determination and can work hard for the country with him.
Atiku also thanked the party for conducting a rancour free primaries which produced him as the presidential candidate of the party.
