Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Mr. Peter Obi, yesterday, played down rumour that he is incapable of securing votes in South-West.
Obi, who declared himself the most qualified person to rule Nigeria at the first and second convocation ceremonies of the Dominican University, Ibadan, said he would be voted for because he possesses the qualities to move the country to the promised land.
He said: “My number one structure is God, the number two is human being, and you people are my structure because you believe in me and in what I am saying.
“The structure we have today is that of criminality and underdevelopment. These structures have ruined the country. So, the question is do you want to continue with the existing structure or you want a new structure?
“If they say I give unverified statistics let them come with theirs. They cannot say I give wrong statistics, yet fail to give the right statistics.”
Obi, who is the Pro-Chancellor of the university, added that he has proved he can do the job, saying: “I make promises on which I can deliver.
“The task ahead requires physical and mental energy, it is left for you to assess who is most likely capable of getting the job done. What I intend to do if elected is to secure and unite Nigeria, ensure that we move it from consumption to production because it is the only way we can pull people out of poverty. If we can create jobs and opportunities for people, things will turn around.
“I will invest in health and education. We will start from basic education to ensure that people are educated at the basic level. At the tertiary level, we will find a combination that would enable the system to work well without our students going on strike.”
He continued: “Ibadan requires federal presence. Oyo is big. Ibadan is a huge city, Ibadan is as big as Lagos.”
Ibadan alone can compare to Lagos and in terms of population, it is huge because there are about four million people living here. This city requires special attention from the Federal Government, especially with so many unemployed youths.
“Here is a state where we can invest in education. In Ibadan, there are so many schools. People used to visit College of Medicine, Ibadan. Today, the reverse is the case.”
On his part, the guest lecturer, Mr. Peter Amangbo, whose lecture was titled: “Let Your Education Count,” congratulated the 96 graduands for their achievements, saying: “I will like to congratulate our distinguished ninety-six scholars who we celebrate today. I am super proud of your achievements, you graduated at a time of unprecedented global catastrophe. However, it is not all bad news as you all survived the pandemic, which is now part of history.”
