The Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, stated that he is not fixated on taking over from President Bola Tinubu in 2027.
The former governor of Anambra State emphasized that his main focus is on helping impoverished Nigerians improve their daily lives.
Obi, while responding to questions at a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, made it clear that he was willing to address important issues affecting the country.
He said, “We live in a system where public officeholders and politicians are only seen during elections. I can tell you that it is an everyday job. I have said several times that I am not desperate to become the President of Nigeria. But I am desperate to see the poor and underprivileged Nigerians being pulled out of their difficult situation daily.
“That is what I am desperate to see. And all of us can do it as well. You can’t even be happy or fulfilled when several million (Nigerians) don’t know where the next meal will come from. When I see children suffering, it increases my pain. This is not about campaign.”
The leader of the LP revealed that if he were to be elected President, he would prioritize fixing current roads instead of awarding contracts for new ones.
Obi emphasized that certain major highways like Lagos-Badagry and Kano-Kaduna were in terrible condition and needed immediate attention from any responsible government.
He added: “If I were to be the President of Nigeria today, nobody would think of any new road until we finish the existing ones. In this country, we are always trying to do things anyhow. Today, you can’t move from Lagos to Badagry, a short period of less than 100 kilometres. It has been under construction for several years. Lagos-Ibadan Expressway has also not been completed for several years.
“The same thing applies to the Kano-Kaduna, Kano-Maiduguri and Sokoto-Funtua. I can even show you the state of all the roads from Kaduna to Abuja. In Kaduna bypass alone, you can queue for hours. You can’t even drive comfortably from Abuja to Okene to Auchi and Benin. It is almost impossible.“These are roads that are already existing and in dire need of repairs for years. That is where we need to put our resources and deal with it. We already have a network of roads that need fixing. Why are people introducing things when the existing ones are in bad shape? When I was governor of Anambra State, I started by completing the roads started by my predecessor before thinking of doing new ones. For me, this is the critical area that needs attention and that is where I will concentrate.”
