Former presidential candidate and ex-governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, regretting the recent crises in various states and at the senate, decried what he described as too much attention to frivolities than transformative solutions to the challenges facing Nigeria.
Obi said the Akpabio, Akpoti-Uduaghan sexual harassment allegation, crisis in the Lagos State House of Assembly over speakership, and the Rivers State executive /legislative controversy were unnecessary
Obi, in a statement on Wednesday, said, ”One would expect our leaders to be focusing and sacrificing solely on providing urgent, transformative solutions to this myriad of problems but not necessarily.
“Instead, the national discourse is consumed by trivialities, whether it is allegations of sexual harassment or budget padding in the National Assembly, controversies surrounding state Houses of Assembly speakership, reckless court judgements threatening to destabilise or deprive the state of funding to provide needed services to the citizens.
“What is coming out of the three arms of government, the executive, the legislature and the judiciary is disgusting and uninspiring. The executive show of negative power, as seen in Osun State, the judiciary pronouncement on Rivers State that is capable of threatening democracy, plus the embarrassing scandal from the National Assembly all combined to give a gloomy picture of our democratic journey.
”Leaders in these three arms should avoid undue disruptive interference in affairs of sub-national government activities. Urgent steps should be taken by the leadership of the three arms to stabilise our polity and stem politicians from defecting to parties where they feel it will be easier to rig them into office.”
The Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, however, denied ever describing the Supreme Court ruling on Rivers State as reckless.
In a statement posted on his X page, Obi said he never made remarks describing the court ruling as reckless.
He stated, “My attention has been drawn to a news report saying I described the Supreme Court ruling on Rivers State as reckless.
“The statement I made from which the report was drawn is on the general terms of the attitude of the political elites in the face of deepening poverty in the land. There’s nowhere I made direct remarks on the Supreme Court ruling as reckless.”
Obi said even if he did not agree with the Supreme Court’s judgement on any matter, he would not describe its verdict as reckless.
