Presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP) in 2023 elections, Peter Obi, has said Nigeria’s democracy has collapsed due to the antics of the present crops of leaders manning the country.
He said this at the 60th birthday celebration and colloquium in honour of Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, a former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and former governor of Imo State.
“They started in 1999, they laid the foundation, some people came and took it a decking, and some people were trying to raise it to the first floor, and some people came and knocked everything down.
“That’s the situation we are in right now. Everything has been knocked down, nothing works. And I’m somebody who can say this exemplary. I became a governor through the courts. When (former) President (Olusegun) Obasanjo and Atiku (Abubakar) were in government, I did not pay the courts, one naira, I was sitting in my house, in an office, and the court declared me winner.
“That’s cannot happen in Nigeria today. When I was being impeached, the president sent people to come and intervene on my behalf. Ken Nnamani came begged the House not to impeach me. And they were begging in my house not to impeach me and they were in PDP, I was in APGA. Today, the president impeaches the person.
“They were begging and the president (Obasanjo) was calling me and saying, Peter, are you okay? Even when I was impeached, President Obasanjo called me and said, are you okay? Are you safe?” Obi said.
He said when he returned from the court, after he was declared the winner against Andy Uba, late President (Umaru) Yar’adua called him in London and said, he should come back.
“I said, President, I can’t come back because you know if I come back this evening, he said, tell me the flight which you’re coming back. And I told him, when I came, it was the first time military people came to receive me at the airport.
“I couldn’t believe it. And they took me straight to him (Yar’adua). Now the president (referring to the present administration) will ask him not to come back here again. So he’s failed. Let’s not talk about it. Let’s talk about how we are going to rebuild it. It’s collapsing,” Obi said.
The event chaired by former President Obasanjo was also attended by former Commonwealth Secretary-General, Emeka Anyaoku; former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar; former Sokoto State Governor, Senator Aminu Tambuwal; and the immediate past governor of Katsina, Hon. Aminu Masari.
Speaking at the event, Atiku said Ihedioha has remained loyal even when they found themselves on different political platforms.
“Emeka and I have kept this relationship and till today I have found him extremely loyal, dedicated and focused even though sometimes we found ourselves on different political divides but we kept our relationship and I think that testifies with the kind of person Emeka is,” Atiku said.
