* Insists he left $150m in Anambra, state govt presents N363m salary arrears records
Chuks Okocha in Abuja and Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Enugu
The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) yesterday said every part of Nigeria should be made conducive for election campaigns as the nation prepares for the 2027 general elections.
This comes as the former Anambra Governor claimed that he left more than $150 million in state investments when he handed over power in 2014, arguing that the funds could have grown to about $335 million if retained and reinvested.
But the Anambra State Government has released documents detailing N363.38 million in salary arrears owed to workers and pensioners of two defunct state agencies, amid former governor Peter Obi’s insistence that he left the state without debt.
Speaking at the ongoing 22nd All Nigeria Editors Conference holding at Enugu with the theme, ‘The Ballot, the Media and the Task of Keeping Democracy Alive,’ Obi said presidential candidates should be free to take their campaigns to every state without restrictions and at the state levels candidates of both ruling parties and opposition parties should be free to campaign.
“We need that conducive environment to campaign in the country to make (democracy) work,” he said.
He decried the situation where some state governors have been manifesting signs of intolerance by placing restrictions on movements of political opponents coming into their states.
Using himself as an example, the NDC presidential flag bearer said that when he was the governor of Anambra State, he never made any attempt to stop the opposition from campaigning.
He said, “In my second term (as governor), (Babatunde) Fashola came to Anambra State to campaign for (Chris) Ngige, who was in ACN. It was me who gave Fashola my convoy.
“And because I didn’t have two convoys—I didn’t have that of my office that day—I gave him everything and stayed back in my office, Fashola is still there. You can go and ask him.”
Obi also stressed the need for the 2027 campaigns to be issue based, saying that the Editors have an important role to play in keeping the candidates and their supporters in check.
He said that “it’s time for you (Editors) to get involved. Question us based on our background. Question us based on what we say. Question us on our qualifications and everything. It’s not enough for anybody to say ‘I’m this and that’. No”.
The former Anambra governor insisted that election campaigns should be devoid of name-calling, character assassination, among other irrelevant issues.
“I cannot abuse any governor; I can never abuse anybody in government. I don’t need to abuse people, even those in federal government, I’ve never abused anybody, including presidential candidates. Never. I will not do that,” he said.
The NDC presidential hopeful further stated that despite the differences he has with President Bola Tinubu, he has never attacked him or abused him.
“He (Tinubu) is the President of the country. He has all my respect, but I can argue on other issues, whether you’re doing well or not doing well in that. That is allowed.
“We must respect the President because he is the leader (and) the character and behaviour of the leader, exemplifies the value of the society. And the leader must live it.”
Obi challenged his fellow presidential candidates to stop overusing their aides to speak for them on every issue, saying that they should make time and personally respond to serious accusations.
According to him, presidential flag bearers should be ready to explain everything concerning them, adding that they “must come and explain, and don’t do it through proxies.”
Obi emphasised the need to protect Nigeria’s democracy, saying that “we made a choice to be a democratic country” hence all hands must be on deck to keep it alive.
He stated that the media has a responsibility to make Nigeria’s democracy to thrive because “we can’t talk about building a society that is good or building a real world without talking about communication and you are the hub of it.
“So, it is important that whenever you are gathering, that as you discuss, please focus and remember to include in your discussions the future of our country,” he charged the Editors.