Anayo Ezugwu 
The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi has challenged the supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to stop faulting his figures and statistics on the Nigerian economy and present their own.
Speaking at the formal defection of PDP governorship candidate in Anambra State, Valentine Ozigbo in Lagos on Tuesday, Obi accused other presidential candidates of poking holes in his theories without presenting their side of the argument.
The former governor of Anambra State argued that data and information are important during political campaigns and in governance.
He said: “Nigeria’s total export in 2021 was N18.9 trillion. When people fault my figures, I tell them and other candidates to present theirs.
“Brazil is among the five biggest producers of food globally. They have developed agriculture and they are feeding themselves and exporting. The wealth of a nation is not determined by the landmass but by the level of production in the country. Nigeria is not a producing nation, let’s go out and produce. Prayer is not enough, we must go out to work.
“We don’t want Nigerians keeping their children in Canada. Canadians don’t send their children here. Today, Nigerian parents are exporting their children abroad and are living alone here in empty homes. We must reverse it. We must bring back our children. To change the nation we must make it stable and safe for all. People still think it will be business as usual, no. We must reverse it.”
While welcoming Ozigbo into the party, the National Chairman of the Labour Party, Julius Abure, said the party is not open to everybody but those with integrity and who have something to offer. He promised a level playing ground and equal opportunities to Ozigbo and his supporters in the party.
Speaking on behalf of himself and his supporters, Ozigbo expressed delight in joining the party. He said the move was just to formalize what had started earlier. He said in the Labour Party, he had found peace and love.
