The presidential candidate of the opposition Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, on Monday, dashed the hopes of some opposition leaders aiming to form a coalition ahead of 2027, distancing himself from such a venture.
He emphatically stated: “I’m not interested in coalition for power grabbing.”
Speaking on the sidelines of the 2-day National Conference on Strengthening Democracy in Nigeria with the theme: “Strengthening Nigeria Democracy: Pathway to Good Governance and Political Integrity” in Abuja, the former Anambra State governor noted that past coalition moves in the country have been reduced to power grabbing.
Obi questioned why political leaders would abandon the country to collapse in desperation to grab political power.
When asked to comment on the proposed coalition of some political forces in the country ahead of 2027, Obi said: “For me, what is important is about the country. We must talk about the future of Nigeria. We abandoned the country and all we talk about now is power grabbing.”
“I am not interested in any coalition to take power. It is about discussing Nigeria, how we care about securing Nigeria, the common people in the country, and their education. That is the most important thing in Nigeria for now.
The opposition leader complained that democracy has completely collapsed in the country, emphasizing that the effects of it could be seen in Nigeria’s daily living and the future of Nigerian children.
He then urged Nigerians to get involved in strengthening democracy, Obi said: “We have seen that whatever happened in democracy affects the citizens. It affects their daily living and the future of their children. So, we must all now get involved to make it because we know that it’s not working in Nigeria.”
On the increasing cases of monetization of politics, Obi said: “That is what we need to remove because what you are doing is that you are encouraging stealing of public money. Because if I steal it and use it to win the election, then I get all the power and everything, including immunity not to be prosecuted. So we must stop it. That is what drives the stealing.
