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December 29, 2022
Obi, however, said that the oil mogul is entitled to his opinions and beliefs.
The presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, has appealed to his supporters not to allow adverse comments to dampen their spirit or force them to lose focus on their goal to win the 2023 election.
Obi gave the advice while reacting to the comments made by Chief Arthur Eze that he had advised the Labour Party candidate to step down from the presidential contest. Obi, however, said that the oil mogul is entitled to his opinions and beliefs.
SaharaReporters had reported that Eze condemned Obi’s ambition of becoming the next president of Nigeria while speaking at the 2022 Ofala festival of Igwe Robert Eze, the traditional ruler of Ukpo in the Dunukofia local government area of the state.
He said he warned Obi to withdraw from the race but that he did not listen.
He said, “I warned Peter Obi to withdraw from this race but he would not listen. I told him plainly that I am not part of his plans. I told him to drop his ambition, and wait for next time.
“When he told me about his ambition, I asked him the states he thinks he can win in the west and in the north, he told me; but I was not convinced. I told him he cannot win; so that he would not waste his time and money,” he added.
But speaking to journalists at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on Wednesday, Obi described Chief Eze as a respected father, not just in Igboland but in Nigeria.
Obi further said that like every other person, Eze has the right to his own opinions, beliefs and freedom of speech, which should be respected.
He, however, appealed to his supporters not to allow such comments to make them focus on their goal. “Such speeches should always be taken positively, as reminding us that we still have several hurdles to cross and to remain focused at all times, without being dragged back," he said.
Obi further reiterated his preparedness to remain with suffering Nigerians, who see in the 2023 presidential election, the hope for Nigeria to overcome the sufferings of the past and start a new chapter in its development.
Obi described ‘suffering Nigerians’ as people suffering in the Nigeria of today, adding that some are more directly affected than others, such as “the millions of people who do not know where the next meal will come from; thousands of Nigerian students who no longer go to school on account of hardship; those who cannot get adequate health care due to the collapse of that sector, over 100 million Nigerians that live in poverty.”
Obi said he had decided to devote the rest of his life towards contributing to solving the myriad of Nigeria’s problems and called on Nigerians to join the cause to emancipate the country.