Obi promises huge crowd in Calabar that he will secure, unite Nigeria… Restore Cross River’s lost glory

By Sixtus Uket (Calabar)

The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) Mr. Peter Obi, has promised to secure Nigeria from forces of destabilisation, and unite the country if elected president in 2023.

Speaking at the U. J. Esuene Stadium in Calabar, Cross River, to a mammoth crowd of supporters during his presidential campaign rally in the state on Wednesday, Mr. Obi lamented that the country has been greatly polarised along ethnic, sectional and religious lines.

He also promised to put machinery in place to ensure the workability of the Tinapa Business and Leisure Resort in Calabar which has now become moribund.

“When we are voted to power, we will secure our country from forces which seek to destroy it and we will unite our people and work against primordial sentiments. We will ensure rule of law and take steps to bring to an end police brutality.

“In the new Nigeria of our dream, students will no more be made to stay at home for eight months, there will be no more ASUU strike to distort our academic calendar.
“We will move Nigeria from a consuming to a production economy,” the Labour Party Presidential candidate stated.

Mr. Obi added that: “We will make Tinapa to work. Cross River state was known as the tourism capital of Nigeria but today, the reverse is the case. We will restore this lost glory of Cross River State.”

The presidential candidate, who explained that their mission is to rescue and restore Nigeria, advised the electorate not to vote for those whose interest is only for their votes and not their welfare.

“Don’t vote for people who are only interested in your vote and do not care about your survival.

“Don’t vote for those you do not trust. Trust me, trust our team and vote for us and I assure you, we will deliver,” he stated amidst joyous shouts of “Obi, Obi Obi.”

Also speaking, a chieftain of the party, Prof Pat Utomi, assured the electorate of the possibility of a new Nigeria, adding:
“A new Nigeria of our dream starts today and it begins with you.”
On her part, a human rights activist, Aisha Yesufu, described the 2023 election as an “election for survival.”

Speaking on behalf of the Organised Labour and the NLC/TUC Political Commission, a former chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Cross River, Comrade John Ushie, said Peter Obi was out to rescue Nigerian workers from oppression.

Comrade Ushie, who is the current National President of the National Union of Paper Products and Printing Workers (NUPPPROW) warned that workers would only accept the removal of petroleum subsidy in the country when Nigerian refineries begin producing at full capacity.