As campaigns of various political parties across the country turn the corner to the February 25, 2023 presidential and parliamentary elections, Mr. Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party(LP), has sent words to his supporters, popularly called ObiDients nationwide and across the globe.
“It’s been a long, tasking but exciting and awesome journey since I came into the presidential race on the platform of the Labour Party(LP) in May last year,” Obi said in the statement via Head of National Publicity, Contact and Mobilization Team of the party’s Presidential Campaign Council (LP-PCC), Comrade Tony Akeni Le Moin.
“I hereby publicly and proudly declare that without the incredibly selfless, amazingly resourceful sacrifices of all of you ObiDient Nigerians behind the LP and I, we would not have come this far. Since the beginning of the race to the present moment. This is a fact that my running mate, Sen. Datti Baba-Ahmed, and I are particular and constantly conscious of.”
The LP presidential candidate continued, “I therefore wish to re-state and amplify my eternal gratitude to ObiDients all over Nigeria and the globe. Your self-motivated initiatives, industrious voter canvassing labours, grassroots sensitization and mobilization throughout the country have been unique and unparalleled in the history of voluntary electioneering solidarity with a candidate, especially a humble candidate like me. In my mind it is easily the first of its kind throughout the history of Africa, if not the entire world.
“I salute your energy, creativity, courage, focus and priceless loyalty to the call to rescue and take back our fatherland. I am glad and proud of you in agreeing with me that it is a mission for today’s living Nigerians and generations of countless more Nigerians yet unborn.”
The presidential candidate adulated further, “Of your own initiatives and often at your own cost, even at risks to your lives as we have seen in ObiDients’ lives lost and maimed in Kaduna or raw blood drawn in attacks against our members in our recent Lagos City rallies, you designed voters outreach programmes, campaign master plans, a thousand online and offline activities day after day. Some of you produced and transported tons of campaign materials thousand of miles to opposite destinations across our vast country. Patriotic Nigeria Diasporans did same from across the continents. And in each case you followed up progress with your own self-mobilized resources.
“With your priceless sacrifices and commitment,” Obi went on, “you enabled our LP presidential train to reach literally millions and millions of Nigerians across urban, peri-urban and previously unreached remote hinterlands of our country with our unique take-back-Nigeria message. What is more amazing, you did so with masses permeating and penetrating depth and voters winning results which have shocked and rattled our political opponents to their marrows.
“Today, within so short a space of time, in barely seven months beginning from the end of May last year to now, we have sprung from planets behind the Goliathine political parties of our country with all their octopus structures and questionable multi-trillion naira campaign war chests. Yet in public popularity and ballot demand today, we have overtaken them with our lean purse of anointed pennies prayerfully, strenuously and painfully gathered but expended with prayers and a patriotic sense of purpose and purport.
“From behind the pack, we have today become, according to numerous credible local and international poll surveys, the first choice of presidential and vice presidential ticket in Nigeria. Working with shoelace budgets and the skin of our teeth, all of you ObiDients home and abroad made it happen,” Obi eulogized his supporters, continuing, “You enabled our LP to overtake in essence, credibility and popularity the other gigantic parties which have been running our country for more than two decades, making our party distinctly the front contender in the 2023 presidential polls coming up in just a week.
“If I lived a thousand years, I shall not be tired of acknowledging that without your priceless sacrifices, unwavering patriotic bond with the struggle, inner call, conviction and commitment to nation building, we would not have come this far and achieved so much within so short a time.”
He exhorted, “Now that we have come this far – against all odds, obstacles and countless negative omens the opponents and their skewed systems put on our way – I earnestly urge and implore everyone of you, beginning with our LP leaders at all levels, from national, state, local government to ward levels, Big Tent leadership and ObiDient support groups, financial contributors and independent donors not to relent.
“We are so close to the finishing tape. You must please, in each cell of Obi-Datti activity you belong, keep contributing your maximum talents, donations, campaign materials to our ever enthusiastic field soldiers. Contribute your energy and synergy to the very last legal campaign evening before election day.
“Don’t lose steam. Don’t lose step. Don’t be weighed down by donor fatigue, marathon cramp, organizational stress or exhaustion but push, push and push. There should be no slowing down till we get to the finish line. Because only there a crown awaits your frown. It is a crown that will very soon wipe away your frown with the jubilation and celebration of victory. It is a crown that will reward your frown for all the pains of the road, sacrifices and blood loss from potshots at you by our toxic foes, potholes and mountains of obstacles, toils and punishing labours which you may think I, Peter Obi, am not seeing or noticing. I assure you that I read all your posts, see all your pains and grueling sacrifices and I notice and deeply appreciate everything you have been doing and are still doing for this campaign. Be very rest-assured about that.”
On casualties of the recent protests that have greeted the currency redesign of the Buhari administration, the nutty glitches of exchange implementation and myriad hardship on ordinary Nigerians from the expiration deadlines of the policy, Mr. Peter Obi had this to say.
“I and the entire leadership of the LP, Obidient Big Tent family and well-wishers are deeply saddened by the death of protesting Nigerians who have fallen in such places as Benin City, Edo State, Warri and Oyo State. I hereby call for civilize restraint on all stakeholders. The federal government should minimize response to legitimate protests by re-orienting the police and other security agencies from the use of live bullets to water canons and at worst smoke cannisters as done in civilize democracies of the world.
“I call on all Nigerians, especially LP supporters and ObiDients to refrain from unlawful confrontation with the police and other constituted authorities, and not to destroy or damage properties and assets of our banking institutions. Instead, as a better alternative cause, Nigerians whose funds are unduly or unreasonably held up and deprived of access to their legitimate monies in various banks for no fault of theirs can constitute themselves into civil society groups for class actions which would in the midterm or long run guarantee peaceful and profitable outcomes. Such actions, which are bound to succeed under the gavel of reasonable civil courts, would further deepen our government-citizen crises engagement mechanisms and civil justice attainment doors instead of risking lives and limb in violent protests which would only lead to cold bodies and mourning families.”
Continuing, Mr. Peter Obi admonished, “To the third tripod of the naira exchange crises, banks and POS remedial outlets nationwide should be fair to fellow citizens who, by the way, are their depositors, lifelong customers and partners in progress. They must be humane especially to poor everyday ordinary Nigerians by not imposing against legitimate customers provocative handicaps, shylock commission reap-offs, deliberate or discriminatory deprivation of cash and other cruel terms of transaction.”
Concluding, Peter Obi conveyed his condolences to all families who lost their loved ones in the recent currency swap protests as well as other protests in the past on various issues across the country.
“Support us,” Obi concluded, “to attain a Nigeria that would honour the memories of all who fell on our way to Nigeria’s true freedom, social-economic emancipation and a society of justice for all.”
