4 weeks ago
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Former Labour Party statesmanlike candidate, Peter Obi, has dismissed caller comments describing his supporters, popularly known arsenic Obidients, arsenic “street urchins,” saying his authorities is astir identifying with mean Nigerians, not the privileged elite.
Obi stated this successful a effect connected Wednesday to remarks made by Kenneth Okonkwo, a erstwhile Labour Party chieftain, whose viral video accused him of “attracting classless thoroughfare urchins” and failing to restrain his followers from spreading falsehoods.
“These are the benignant of problems that Peter Obi has, attracting classless thoroughfare urchins… each those rabies-infested dogs, they are ill-bred, precise ill-mannered, ill-tempered thoroughfare urchins. These are the benignant of followers he’s attracting now,” Okonkwo said successful the video.
Reacting to the statement, Obi said helium recovered it “deeply unfortunate” that successful today’s Nigeria, immoderate citizens look down connected others successful a degrading manner.
“Humanity is paramount successful my politics. No thoroughfare urchins. Lately, I person heard a fewer radical accidental that those who travel Peter Obi are low-class Nigerians, and immoderate person adjacent gone arsenic acold arsenic calling them ‘street urchins’ and radical of nary value,” helium said.
The erstwhile Anambra politician emphasized that each Nigerian, careless of societal oregon economical status, deserves dignity and respect.
“I person ne'er and volition ne'er look down connected anyone, but to assistance them up. After all, we tin lone emergence by lifting others,” Obi said.
“My engagement successful authorities has ne'er been astir associating with the alleged precocious and mighty, but astir lasting with the mean Nigerians whose voices person been silenced and whose resources person been stolen by the aforesaid ‘big names’ who present parade themselves with each sorts of titles and names.”
Obi argued that specified elitist attitudes bespeak the “state of the nation,” wherever hardship and inequality person near galore citizens susceptible to ridicule from those successful positions of privilege.
“No Nigerian is of nary value. No Nigerian is simply a thoroughfare urchin,” helium stated. “It speaks volumes astir the authorities of our federation that mundane Nigerians are present battered by poorness and hardship to the constituent their leaders notation to them arsenic of nary worth and urchins.”
Reaffirming his committedness to inclusive politics, Obi said existent enactment lies successful uplifting the anemic and ensuring that each Nigerians person entree to basal needs specified arsenic education, healthcare, and opportunities for economical advancement.
“Every Nigerian deserves dignity, opportunity, and care. True enactment is not astir mocking the weak, it is astir lifting them up,” helium added.
The station My authorities not for precocious and mighty — Obi replies those calling Obidients street urchins appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.
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