By Jude Michael
Anambra Central Senatorial Zone has formerly announced to Nigerians that the life of their son and Presidential Candidate of Labour Party in the 2023 elections, Mr Peter Obi, is in the hands of the individuals sponsoring an attack on him.
The Senator representing the Zone in the National Assembly, Sir Dr Victor Umeh, made the announcement while having a chat with the press in Awka on Saturday February 28.
Senator Umeh, who said everybody in the country knew those sponsoring the attack on Mr Obi, warned those he described as Obi’s enemies to desist from the act which he described as not only undemocratic but also barbaric.
‘It’s unfortunate that Nigeria is sinking to the abyss. When you’re confronted with a situation where some people don’t want others to exist, it becomes a draconian system.
‘We have to practice a democracy that guarantees liberty to all citizens. Peter Obi is a lamb. The only thing that is hurting his enemies are his good messages, the preaching he makes about how to change the way Nigeria is being operated, for Nigeria to be a new Nigeria that will cut away from our fast way of doing things.
‘That’s why it’s worrisome that at this stage, particularly in an election year, as we’re preparing for elections very soon, the ruling party that is big enough to own everybody in Nigeria seems unsafe and unsure of themselves. I don’t know why they’re very desperate.
‘Peter Obi is not somebody who is known to be violent. For him to attend a simple party function in Edo State and he would be greeted with gunshots, shows how our country has degenerated.
‘Democracy is a system of government that guarantees personal right of the citizens to choose things they want to do.
‘That somebody wants to be a president, for example, is not a reason another person will want him dead.
‘No, you can’t kill him, because if you kill him today his message will continue to live on.
‘Obi is very popular in Nigeria because of his popular messages of change.
‘It’s like when Jesus came to the world, he preached a change of ways of doing things; he preached turnaround from our devilish ways to embrace truth and justice.
‘This is what we’re faced with in Nigeria today. When John the Baptist was in the wilderness, he said, ‘’make the way of the Lord straight so that everybody would pass through a straight road’’.
‘But some people don’t want make the road straight and even for Nigerians; they want crooked roads in Nigeria so that they will continue to cling on to power with their crookedness.
‘However, there is a time for everything; and that time has come that Nigerians are so burdened that they can’t continue with the present hardship in the system.
‘So somebody who is preaching about change should not be a target of assassination, because even if you kill the person, the message will continue to live on.
‘The only thing you can do is to change your own ways and embrace truth, justice, and democracy that can make everything easy for Nigerians to have freedom of choice.
‘I advise the ruling party to correct themselves; if anything is making them unliked by Nigerians, they should change and start doing things that will make Nigerians like them.
‘As for Obi, nobody can extinguish his message. His message to Nigerians is a message of change from corruption, change from inflicting poverty on the citizens. These are his messages that are resonating with the populace.
‘He is not somebody who is sharing money – his character, simplicity, is making him a president Nigerians are yearning for.
‘So, wanting to stop him from talking to the people is a barbaric way of doing things.
‘I want to use this opportunity to condemn what happened to him in Edo. Let nothing happen to him.
‘We, his brothers, and I, as a Senator representing him in the National Assembly, want to use this opportunity to tell Nigerians that Peter Obi’s life is in the hands of those after him.
‘Everybody knows those after him, those who are sponsoring attacks on him. They should desist from the act for he is on a mission in Nigeria.
‘Trying to kill him will not stop it, because people have embraced his message of change.
‘So, if you want defeat him in an election, you have to do things that will make people accept your leadership,’ Senator Umeh said.
Still on the attack on Obi, Umeh accused the Edo State Governor, and reminded him that Nigeria currently practiced democracy, not a military government.
‘Last year, the Governor warned Obi not to come to Edo State again, and that if he ever comes to the state, his security would not be guaranteed. Just last week, he went to Edo State and this attack happened.
‘The Governor should understand that we’re not in a military, but in a democratic government, where anything the citizens want must be done.
‘Democracy is not a system you use suppression or oppression against the people.
‘You should allow people to express themselves, but use your work to sell and endear yourself to the electorate,’ he challenged the Edo Governor.
