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Presidential candidate of Labour Party Peter Obi said he will ‘bring out’ jailed agitators and insurgents for dialogue if he is elected Nigeria president in the 2023 general election.
Obi, a former Anambra State governor and frontline presidential hopeful, stated this on Channels Television’s ‘The People’s Townhall’ on Sunday.
The presidential candidate said he will dialogue with separatist groups and insurgents but insisted that such agigations will continue if the “injustice” in Nigeria is not addressed.
“I will discuss with those who want to discuss. You have to look at what is causing agitations today; it is issues of injustice, issues where there is no fairness, issues to do with poverty, and unemployment and young people not knowing where the next meal will come from,” Obi said.
“I’ll discuss with everybody – even if you have been jailed, I’ll bring you out and we will discuss.
Emphasizing a ‘carrot and stick’ approach, the former Anambra State governor said agitators and insurgents have a reason for their actions that must be addressed.
“We are in a democratic dispensation; you govern by discussing, you govern by consensus. So, I will sit down and discuss with every agitator without the exception of the name. We must use carrot and stick.
“When you start to address these issues and you engage them in discussions and you start bringing them to the table, no agitator anywhere in the world will see the reason that things are going the way they ought to and will continue to agitate because they are agitating for something.”
Obi also spoke about dealing with the issue of corruption in the procurement process within the military and plans to secure Nigeria.
“All procurements must be transparent. I assure you there will be nothing done under the table. “
The LP presidential candidate insisted on his advocacy for community and state police and noted that he would leverage his experience as Anambra State Governor by involving community leaders at all levels in securing their environments in collaboration with regular security agencies.
“There is no reason we should not have local, state and federal, and national policing.”
