The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general election, Mr Peter Obi, has condemned the demolition of citizens’ properties and businesses by government authorities without prior notice.
In a statement issued through his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle on Monday, Obi described the exercise as “unjustifiable and inhumane”, particularly at a time when many Nigerians are facing severe economic difficulties.
He wrote: “I reiterate my strong condemnation of the wilful destruction of people’s property and goods by governments at any level without notice.
The recent demolition of citizens’ structures and the destruction of their goods and merchandise remain condemnable.”
The former Governor of Anambra State criticised the administration’s approach, warning that it has pushed millions of Nigerians further into poverty within just over two years of governance. He said leaders should act with empathy rather than inflict additional pain on the people.
He added: “At a time when the government should be lifting citizens out of poverty, it is instead plunging them deeper into hardship.
“These demolitions destroy livelihoods, undermine businesses, and threaten the economic security of hardworking citizens.”
He lamented that many affected shops and buildings contained goods worth billions of naira, representing years of investment and toil. He insisted that no legal justification existed for destroying private property without due process or prior notice.
Obi questioned whether such demolitions serve any genuine public interest or simply represent “arbitrary and disproportionate exercises of power.”
He further warned that the continued destruction of citizens’ properties sends a dangerous message to entrepreneurs and investors that their hard work could be erased overnight by reckless government actions.
He added: “If we fail to stand against such injustices, we risk undermining the very foundations of economic growth and social stability.
Every citizen has the right to build a life through honest work, and that right must never be trampled.”
https://x.com/PeterObi/status/1977655210903248908?t=3DF76_VVFXUZ592MQkgYwA&s=19
