Politics
EVERYTHING about a leader, especially those aspiring to political offices, must be an open book to enable the populace know who they are and what they have done in the past before seeking to be given a future opportunity, Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), has stressed for the umpteenth time.
“It’s only in Nigeria that people would be asking their leaders which school they went to,” Obi regretted, while speaking at a meeting with the top leadership of the organised labour in Nigeria, on within the week, in continuation of his consultation with critical stakeholders over his presidential project.
Obi, spoke against the backdrop of the controversy arising from the mystery over the educational qualification of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), which has been raging since the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), released the details of the candidates of the various political parties seeking to replace President Muhammadu Buhari next year.
Tinubu, former Lagos State Governor and National Leader of the APC, had reportedly left the column for his primary and secondary education information vacant, while failing to file his university certificate, claiming that his educational credentials, were part of the documents taken away from his house when agents of the military despots that ruled Nigeria, carted away at the time he was in exile.
But a groundswell of opinions in certain quarters believe that the former governor is hedging over the issue because of some sordid records of the past, particularly his real identity, which could be revealed by his releasing details of his early life as contained in his primary and secondary school records.
Apparently referring to the issue, Obi said the pedigree of those aspiring to leadership must be critically scrutinised by the people, in order to know who they really were and what they had done in the past, including in the various capacities they had worked before, adding that this would enable them take future decisions.
Hear him: “Go and verify what happened in Anambra State, what I did in terms of human capital development. I’m contesting an election, and I have a past. It is time for you to go and verify about my past. Don’t go and verify about my shoes o! Go and verify what I’ve done about my work. This is the time to ask who is Peter Obi? Where has he passed through. This is the time to scrutinise everything about him.
“As a joke, I was telling a young man in the plane this afternoon that it is only in Nigeria that people are asking people which school they went to. I once applied to a school. I was busy talking to the people and saying I went to this school and that school. And the lady was busy contacting those schools and was still talking to me. And by the time I finished, she gave me something to sign
“I said, how did you know and she said she sent something to the schools and they had replied her. So, this is the time to go and verify. I urge you, let’s build a better Nigeria. Nigerians are talented. Our youths are good and very innovative. All they require is government directive – policies that can give them access to training and access to funding.
(Text excluding headline from Whirl wind news)
KN
Tags: APC Bola Ahmed Tinubu Labour Party Peter Obi
