Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi has said he refused to inform Atiku Abubakar that he was going to leave the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) because it was likely the former Vice President would have prevailed on him not to take such decision.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Peter Obi as saying he has so many important people in his life, including his family members, who he did not inform before leaving the PDP, adding that he took the decision because it was the best thing to do.
“You see Seun, a time will come in a man’s life, where he will decide to take a very strong decision about his life and his people, without informing those who are likely to tell him not to take such decision.
“I have so many important people in my life that I didn’t tell that I was going to leave PDP. I didn’t even tell my family at that time. I took that decision because it is the best thing to do and I didn’t want anybody to distract me.
“Remember when I left, I told Nigerians that I rather lose doing the right thing, than win doing the wrong thing,” Peter Obi said in the popular Channels TV Politics Today programme on Monday.
Responding to Atiku’s comment that it will take a miracle for him to win the 2023 presidential election, the Labour Party presidential candidate said: “Well, my political journey has been a miracle. So many things have happened in my life that people never thought would be possible.
“In 2003, I contested for the Anambra Governorship election under a party that was just one year old. People said it will take a miracle for me to win the election that year, but I won.
“Six months later, I was impeached. I challenged the impeachment in court. People said it will impossible for me to come back to office, that no governor has ever come back to office after impeachment. They said it will take a miracle for me to win the case in court. I won the case.
“I came back to the office and in 2007, an election was conducted and Andy Uba was declared the winner. I went to court again to seek the interpretation of our laws. I told the court that the tenure of a Governor is four years and I should be allowed to finish my tenure. People said it will take a miracle for me to win that case, I won.
“So my political journey has been like a miracle and I’m waiting for the bigger miracle to happen in 2023. That’s my response to Atiku’s statement”.
Peter Obi also addressed issues Atiku raised on 90% of Northerners being on social media.
He said: “Well, that’s the problem I’m coming to solve as the Nigerian President. I have said it before that the North will be our new oil. I will convert that population to wealth through production. I will invest in education so that those who don’t know how to operate the internet in the North, will learn how it is done. The north is our new oil”.
On security, Peter Obi said: “It will be immediate and decisive. I will pull people out of poverty. It has been proven that the more you pull people out of poverty, the more you reduce crime. I will invest in education and military manpower. All options will be on the table”.