Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, has replied critics who somehow managed to squeeze issues out of his recent statement where he said his government would fight poverty in the country starting from the North to other parts of the country.
Obi in a recent visit to a Muslim community in Awka, Anambra State, to felicitate with the people on the celebration of Eid al-Fitri, said his motivation to seek the highest office in the country, is primarily to free the country from politicians or highly placed individuals who weaponized Politics and religion to keep Nigerians languishing in poverty for many years.
He said these individuals have in the past years, succeeded in causing divisions among Nigerians, but abandon the divided people to suffer together after achieving their selfish interests.
"We know you are insulting us, we the Northerners Mr. @PeterObi and we are assuring you that as far as Presidency of Nigeria is concerned, it shall remain in your illusionary dream forever. You’ll never come close to it. You bigoted, religious, ethnocentric merchant," a former presidential aspirant, Adamu Garba, wrote in a tweet in response to Obi's statement.
However, Peter Obi said if those criticizing him for saying he would begin his fight against poverty from the North, actually cared about their own people, Nigeria would have been a much better country.
He said, “I told people I will start fighting poverty from the north and people said North is not poorer than South, and that I’m from South, so I can start here, but truth is that I know that vast land which we would use to solve the problem of poverty is in the north.”
On those causing division in the country, Obi said, “I am a Christian and you are Muslims, but we are all Nigerians, and Nigeria is one. It is only politics that divides us. But let me tell you, I have never seen any road that is built and it is only for Muslims to drive on. I have also not seen any market where Christians buy bread cheaper than Muslims. If you know such market, please tell me, let me go and buy.
“If you go to Dubai, the land on which one of the biggest churches is built was donated by the ruler of Dubai. In England too, a mosque was donated by the queen, who is the head of the church of England.
“We are one and we are created by the same God. Only religion is dividing us, but we should not let religion or politics to divide us. Nigeria will continue to be one irrespective of politics."