Ibekimi Oriamaja Reports
Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s (LP) presidential candidate, disputed on Tuesday that $150 million had been donated to his campaign from sources in the diaspora.
In response to the purported payment, a group operating under the banner of Tinubu-Shettima Connect challenged the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to disqualify Obi because it contravenes the Electoral Act on campaign funding.
However, the former governor of Anambra State claimed that the claims were unfounded during a meeting with Nigerians in London.
He said, “Nobody has handed me anything.” “That is just conjecture. What they would provide me is not what I need. However, we need them to help Nigeria turn around, so what would they provide Nigeria?
“This is the drive and capability we need to turn Nigeria around. Every nation that was transformed was carried out by the diaspora. Even in the Bible, Joseph returned to feed his people after departing later.
Obi has recently traveled around Europe and the United States to meet with Nigerians all over the world.
He claimed that his meetings had nothing to do with his campaign.
It’s a consultation, not a campaign, he declared. “I am talking to Nigerians abroad to find out why they ought to participate in Nigerian elections. And you can see from my dialogue and everything else that I’m doing that I’m encouraging participation.
“They are the most important elements in rebuilding Nigeria. Diasporans are the investment Nigeria needs to turn things around. We can change Nigeria if they have faith in the country and provide their material, creative, and energetic resources.
Obi, who has a lot of young Nigerians’ backing, asked for the 2023 elections to be decided by candidates’ merits.
