(NEWS RELEASE)
The Peter Obi Support Network (POSN) has called on Nigerians to shun the divisive utterances of the presidential candidates of ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bola Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar respectively, and rally round the Labour Party candidate, Mr Peter Obi to rescue Nigeria from total collapse.
It said the APC, and PDP should be telling Nigerians how they would rescue the country from the path of precipice that it is heading, rather than polarizing the country along ethnic and religious fault lines with their divisive utterances.
POSN which stated this in a statement issued on Friday, and signed by its Spokesman, Mr Sani Saeed Altukry, wondered how those candidates could unite Nigerians after dividing them if they eventually win the election.
The group asked Nigerians to compare the statement of people driven by selfish ambition and those driven by a desire for nation building, while making their choice for the next president of this great country.
“Mr Peter Obi is using campaign to unite. His preaching, teaching and messages of hope have made many Nigerians to start seeing their Hausa, Yoruba and Fulani neighbours as brothers and Nigeria as their only country which must be repaired and made habitable by them. It is happening before the eyes of everyone.
“But Tinubu and Atiku camps are using divide and rule approach as their campaign strategy. Because of Atiku and Tinubu’s blunders, Nigeria has divided far much more on religious and tribal lines than ever before. The same mistake made by President Muhammadu Buhari.
“When you divide the people in order to win presidential election, how will you be able to rule the already divided people when you finally become the president,” the POSN queried.
The group quoted some of the statements credited to those candidates like Tinubu who stated: “Labour Party members and supporters can never rule us, they will Labour till death.”
“Atiku was also quoted as saying, “Obi is not known in the North; will remain unknown by the over 90 percent of northerners who do not make use of internet and can never be voted by the northerners.”
In contrast, Peter Obi has said, “We shall depopulate the ranks of terrorists by ensuring enhanced, quality and equitable access to education to all our children.
“Our youths Must be freed from the slavery of overt dependence on handouts from politicians by creating jobs and business opportunities.
“I do not have a lifetime ambition to rule Nigeria, but I have a lifetime passion to make Nigeria, the pride of the world.”
Obi has also been quoted as saying, “I am not going to be the President of the Southeast or the Northeast, the President of Christians or Muslims, I am going to be the President of all Nigerians.
“We will create a people’s economy. The economy, that is not merely doing well on the books of analysts, but the economy that does well in the people’s stomach.
“The youths have become easy preys to terrorist recruiters because they do feel the love of this nation towards them. We shall show love to our youths and make them proud of their heritage as Nigerians.
“I have no greater pride than being Nigerian and making Nigeria great again is my greatest passion.”
The above statements attributed to the Labour Party candidate marks him as a different type of great politicians that Nigerians need today, POSN concluded.