Obi: NBS Statistics of  Nigerians Living in Poverty Doubtful

Emameh Gabriel in Abuja

Labour Party (LP)presidential candidate, Peter Obi, yesterday said the statistics of Nigerians living in poverty by the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics(NBS) might be incorrect given the reality as seen on the faces of millions of Nigerians. 

This was even as former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawan, cautioned Obi, his running mate, Baba Ahmed-Datti and supporters of the party not to be carried away with the euphoria of the ongoing nationwide mass movement while ignoring the strength of having a well coordinated structure to canvass for votes.

The former SGF has also dismissed speculations about disagreement between his splinter group and that of former Speaker of House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, saying that they were both working on the same goal.

Peter Obi stated this at the North-east Stakeholders’ Interactive Session between LP and leadership of the region, as he lamented the state of poverty and insecurity in the region.

He said: 2023 election, is an election that is critical to Nigerians. We have over 35 per cent of population unemployed and over 60 per cent of our youths not employed.

“NBS released a statistics that 133 million Nigerians are living in poverty. So, if a government agency is telling you that 133 million people are living in poverty, it can be all of us”.

Obi explained that the cause of insecurity in the country was deeply rooted in the level of unemployed youths who he said were in their active years.

 Also speaking at the event,  Lawal cautioned that that LP must look beyond its rising popularity and invest every available resources to build structures across the entire 36 states of the federation, especially in the North where Peter Obi was not known to the people.

Lawal, who was reacting to an earlier statement made by the party’s vice presidential candidate, Baba Ahmed-Datti, who said LP doesn’t need a structure to win next year’s presidential election, said such thought might be the party’s biggest undoing.

He said: “I am still a member of the APC but I don’t know why they have not expelled  me. I have listened to the vice presidential candidate but even with good programme on papers, you might have the best candidates, they talk good English, but if we do not win this election, it’s nonesnse. And I told some people yesterday, if we lose this election, we all run to Cameron.

“We must not deceive ourselves. We need to have structures in the states that can canvass for votes that people will know that this man votes in my polling unit and I am voting because he knows Peter Obi and when he wins, through him, I will get my own share. That’s the mentality of Nigerians.

“I cannot understand what motivation I am going to give people in polling units to come and vote for Peter Obi who is from Anambra that they can’t even call the name of the place, they have never seen him, they have never seen his poster and I am telling them to vote for him.

That is why if you see the statistics of election, the turnout for chairmanship is higher because everybody knows the chairman. Then they have house of assembly, then they have house of representatives, then of course the Senate.

“By the time it gets to the Presidential election, somebody from my village doesn’t know who Obi is. So we have to mobilise. I keep telling this LP. We must mobilise. We must have structure to deliver this mobilsation.

“As we speak here, almost all the top political parties, the other three have musicians on their payrolls, who put instruments on their vehicles and take it to the market place where Almajiris will come and be dancing.

“That is mobilsation. For the women to be able to wear Labour Party wrappers, that will improve the orientation in their minds.

“These people, who will they vote for that day when they go to their polling units? They will not vote for Peter Obi, they will be voting for LP. We are here from the North-east, our duty is to establish a structure that can deliver the votes.

“Peter Obi can win this election on the first ballot only if we come out in mass. In the Middle Belt, is not our habit to come out to vote. The same with the South-east. But we must find a way to bring this people out to vote. They must come out to vote.

“PDP has the States with the massive voting population. Bauchi, Kano, Sokoto, Kaduna, Ibadan, with million of registered voters.

“So we want our people to come out and vote for us that day. Who will do this for you without a structure?, he asked.

 “In my place, you have to even provide buses to transport people to their polling stations. If there is nobody to do that and we relying on social media, how can you win the election?

“Let’s do it, establish the structure and let’s get the voters together, teach them how to vote, protect the votes and make sure they are there till the votes are announced. So we need a structure”, Lawal advised.

Fielding questions on the sideline of the event, Lawan clarified his position speculations about rift between him and Yakubu Dogara.

He explained that their mission was to eliminate the Muslim-Muslim ticket by his party, the APC.

“We can differ like in human qualities. No two people can ever agree totally on politics. So it’s okay but we have a common goal. We can divide on how to achieve that goal, it is still the same direction we’re moving.

“We must defeat the Muslim Muslim ticket. were united on this. And every Christian is united on this. Find out,  we must defeat the Muslim Muslim ticket.

“I am not interested in LP asset but I am interested in Peter Obi as a potential presidential candidate. It Doesn’t matter which party. I say that Nigerians are due for change. And I can tell you, frankly speaking, my own opinion is that Nigerians will vote for anybody for as long as he is not part of the old guard of the PDP or APC”