I didn’t offer Kwankwaso N40bn to step down — Obi
…Vows to reduce cost of governance
By Idris Bakare
The Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) Mr. Peter Obi, has discredited reports that he allegedly offered N40billion to the standard bearer of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, (NNPP) Alhaji Rabiu Kwankwaso, to step down for him, stating that he has offered money to no one to become president in 2023.
Obi while making the clarification on Monday at an interactive forum with the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) in Lagos said, “I never knowingly or unknowingly, offered anybody money to become president. In all my talks with Kwankwaso, I never offered him money.”
The former Anambra State Governor also clarified that nobody was funding his campaign.
“Nobody as at today will say he’s funding Peter Obi. I’m funding myself. I don’t pay people to work for me.”
The LP Presidential Candidate said the 2023 presidential election will not be about tribe or religion but mainly about who has the capacity and capability to govern well.
Obi, who was speaking at the Nigeria Guild of Editors Forum in Lagos, Monday, said the coming election is not about “it is my turn, but the turn of Nigerians to decide who to govern them and govern them well.
“Next year’s election will be based on competence, capability, and huge mental and physical energy. It is not about religion. Muslims are not buying bread cheaper than the Christians.
“I am contesting the election as a Nigerian but not as an Igbo man. Let Nigerians scrutinise all of us who are candidates. Nigeria is looking for somebody who will not steal money, a competent person. Scrutinise all of us and say you can trust this one.”
Speaking further, Obi said Nigeria should move from a consumption nation to a production country. He said the foundation of Nigeria’s failure is that it is not a productive country.
He said, “In Nigeria what we do is only about sharing resources. We need to change that sharing formula to productive formula.”
On what he would do if elected, Obi said the first thing to be done as a country is to establish a foundation for the country to feed itself.
He said what is required to improve the fortune of the country is good leadership, saying that he is ready to provide that good leadership.
“All it is required is good leadership, a leadership that can drive the process and I can do that,” he said.
He promised that he is going to improve the power supply.
Commenting on the heavy foreign debt, Obi said borrowing is not bad but unfortunately, the money Nigeria borrowed is not invested but thrown away.
He said when he assumes power, he will only borrow money for investment and not for consumption.
However, he said that the cost of governance in the country is high and unacceptable, pledging to end all rascality, corruption and wastages if elected to put the country on path of growth and development.
Obi said that as former Governor of Anambra, he toured every local government and slept in all the council areas, adding, “If I give you a job to do, I will follow it up.”
“Leadership changes everything, but the driver must be known, trained and have the competence,” he said.
Obi noted that he had studied the nation’s challenges, including security, economy, poverty, agriculture, micro and small business and corruption.
He said that he had the political will to bring in an institutional framework to make things work.
On fighting corruption, Obi said, “I don’t need to tell you anything about fighting corruption because all you need to do is to go to Anambra State and ask how many parcels of land were allocated to Peter Obi, his wife and children or anybody, If you see one, I will stop campaigning.
“If you see any contractor that says I sat down with him and negotiated what is my own benefit in contracts, I will stop campaigning. I am not a saint. I became Governor by His Grace but I cannot abuse grace,” he said.
Obi urged the editors to scrutinise all the presidential candidates, not based on certificate, religion, eloquence, or ethnicity, but character and track records.
“Remember that certificate is not a measure of character and integrity. We are looking for people who will not steal our money.
“So, go and scrutinise all of us. We should vote people based on track record, age, strength because the job requires physical and mental energy,” he said.
Earlier, while delivering his welcome address, the President of the Nigeria Guild of Editors, Mustapha Isah, urged all the presidential candidates to ensure that their campaigns are issue-based and less mudslinging.
He said the Guild of Editors Forum is a platform for the candidates to tell Nigerians what they have in stock for them.
