…Obi insists on production for economic growth

..,.Let’s base political coalition on competence — Amaechi

There was a mild drama on Monday during a fiery panel session at the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, when Omoyele Sowore, the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), attacked Mr Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (ADC), and Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi for their alleged non-performance when they served as governors.

Sowore, who was on the panel with Obi and Amaechi, criticised past leaders for the country’s economic woes, but targeted the former governors for not delivering for the people and for not subsidising or sustaining public infrastructure.

The topic of discourse at the conference focused on Nigeria’s political future, governance, democracy and the choices facing Nigerians ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Sowore said that the two former governors had the opportunity to serve the people, but failed them and the country, citing the uncompleted monorail project Amaechi initiated as Rivers governor, and the strike embarked on in Anambra by doctors during Obi’s time as Anambra governor.

“We have a former Governor of Rivers State, who built a rail line that went nowhere,” Sowore added. You built a monorail that went nowhere,” he told the former minister of transportation.

He also said: “Peter Obi Didn’t Subsidize Education. When he was the Governor of Anambra State, Lecturers and Doctors went on strike for 13months. You may like Peter Obi as a person, but he did not perform as a governor”

He said that the masses were the main target of fuel subsidy removal by the Federal Government, noting that only the elite, mainly state governors, benefited from it.

Sowore noted that fuel subsidy removal is not new in the country, stressing that there was fuel subsidy removal in the late 80s and in 1990 when he was a student at the University of Lagos.

The AAC presidential candidate said: “I have been consistent against subsidy removal. It took Amaechi and his boss ten years to catch up with me. You are subsidising the governors. You are subsidising the elite.

“The only people who have been doing well since the removal of subsidy are the governors. When they talk about subsidy, they sound as if they have not removed subsidy before.

” I was a student in 1988, and they removed subsidy. In 1990, they removed subsidy; they said that Nigeria would be better…

Obi, who focused on the economy and the country’s current state, insisted that a Nigerian economy driven by production would work wonders and create more active role players and opportunities.

He said that the country remains poor simply because it consumes more of things it does not produce, wondering why Ukraine, which
continues to war with Russia, would provide grain to Nigeria.

Obi said: “Nigeria is poor today because it is not a productive country. Some of us might not be aware that two years ago, Ukraine, which is at war, gave us grain.

“We are hungry today because Nigeria is not a productive country. …We can make more money from agriculture than we make from oil.”

In his comments, Amaechi defended his track record and urged voters to judge politicians by competence rather than ethnic loyalties.

He also called for a performance-based assessment of political actors, urging the audience to use past track records rather than sectional or tribal ties when choosing leaders for the 2027 elections.

The former Rivers State governor said political coalitions should be built around performance and competence, urging Nigerians to examine the records of politicians seeking their votes ahead of the 2027 general elections.

According to him, several of the political figures seeking to lead the country have previously served in government and should therefore be judged by their performances in their previous positions.

“A coalition should be based on performance. And I speak to you, you should do a referendum. We have all served in government. Atiku has served in government, Peter Obi has served in government, I have served in government and others.

“Assess us by our last performance and choose. Don’t just go because you are from Ikwerre or you are from Omoku and choose your own. No! That’s why we are running down,” Amaechi said.

Amaechi urged Nigerians to rise above ethnic sentiments when making political choices, stressing that competence and previous performance should be the major considerations.

He warned that the country would continue to struggle with underdevelopment if Nigerians continue to vote along ethnic or sectional lines without considering the past performance of candidates.

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