Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has reiterated the need for his supporters, as well as Nigerians, to remain calm in the face of surmountable provocation.
Since the conclusion of the February 25 presidential election, the former Anambra State governor had been criticized for allegedly playing religious politics.
Several post-election incidents, including his recent encounter in the United Kingdom regarding alleged impersonation had also generated a lot of comments from Nigerians.
Obi, who advocated strict adherence to the rule of laws in a series of tweets on Wednesday night, said people plotting the downfall of the country will never succeed. Citing recent electoral activities in the country including Adamawa supplementary polls, Obi urged Nigerian youth to remain resolute and committed to a new country.
He recalled the cases of violence, voter suppression and intimidation which characterised the 2023 general elections, pleading to Nigerians to be optimistic.
Obi wrote, “Recent events in our country, including political developments in Adamawa state, underline the importance of adhering to the rule of law.
“As a patriotic Nigerian who has served this country diligently, I remain committed to serving the Nigerian people and achieving a greater Nigeria in which everyone will be a beneficiary of our God-given wealth of abundant human and natural resources.
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“Nigeria is a truly blessed and potentially great nation. With the Almighty God on our side, Nigeria’s greatness will soon manifest fully, thus ensuring that she is well-respected globally. In view of this, l ask all well-meaning Nigerians to commit their heart to prayers for a better and greater Nigeria.
“H.E. President Muhammadu Buhari asked Nigerian youths to have faith in Nigeria and prepare for leadership roles when he signed the ‘Not Too Young to Run Act’ into law. I agree with him that we have enough vibrant and intelligent Nigerian youths ready to propel Nigeria to greatness, and it is my desire and commitment to empower Nigerian youths to leadership.
“Yet, we must do our utmost to be calm even under provocation; we must also not allow those bent on using any pretext to plunge our country into chaos and leave our youths without a future to succeed.
“We were provoked during the elections, but we showed restraint, patriotism and wisdom because we were voting for a greater Nigeria and not for the destruction of Nigeria. They deployed agents who killed and maimed many, including innocent women, but we kept our cool.
“I plead to every Nigerian to keep the faith and hope in Nigeria alive. We are on this journey together, and better and happier years await all of us.