The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi and former Nigeria’s Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo on Wednesday were pictured all smiles while attending the International Leaders Forum (ILF) in Chicago on the sidelines of the Democratic National Convention (DNC).
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that the forum, in its 11th edition, is held in Illinois and will run from August 19 to 22.
The Nigerian leaders met and shared a moment to take pictures sandwiched by a lady and a gentleman.
In another picture, both were pictured seated and smiling in an office.
Speaking at the event however, Obi via his X.com handle said he was invited “along with two other eminent Nigerians, and about two hundred other distinguished political leaders from over 91 countries, including former Heads of Governments”.
“We were invited to participate in the 2024 International Leaders Forum (ILF) on the sidelines of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois, holding on 19-22 August 2024,” Obi wrote on X.
He added, “I am honoured and grateful to Senator Thomas Daschle and the Board of NDI for the gracious invitation.”
Obi said the ILF offered leaders from Africa’s evolving democracies the opportunity to share their experiences and learn from others.
He said, “Over the years, NDI has identified and invited key senior politicians and policymakers from around the world to observe an essential and rich facet of the United States of America’s democratic process.
“The ILF gathering serves as an opportunity for such leaders drawn from across diverse nationalities, ideologies and geographies to build relationships based on their commonality of shared experiences while identifying, peculiarities as well as common interests and addressing pressing challenges to democratic institutions, values and norms.
“As President Tamara Wittes stated ‘Democracy is about communities making collective decisions even when people may have real differences of view – and so healthy Democracy relies on fostering open dialogue and trust. Without that trust, every political argument and every election becomes a zero-sum, existential battle’.
“This issue of trust and value was discussed during presentations and exchanges by participants including DNC Chair Jamie Harrison, former DNC Chair, and now Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Prime Minister of Kosovo, Former Prime Minister of Denmark, former NATO Secretary General, & others.
“The ILF offer those of us from Africa’s nascent and evolving democracies the opportunity to share our experiences and learn from others, various norms germane to building resilient democracies.
“I am elated to be part of this process of conversations on global democracy trends and look forward to what promises to be very fruitful deliberations and constructive engagement,” Obi wrote.
Osinbajo has not made any comments regarding his attendance.