Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, Mr. Peter Obi, has stated that his administration, if voted into office, would support any initiative that would improve the economy of Nigeria.
Obi stated this in a statement where he denied a statement credited to him in a section of the media that he was opposed to the initiative to commence crude oil exploration in Bauchi and Gombe States, describing the report as a ‘fake news’.
In a statement made available to LEADERSHIP by the Head of Media of Obi-Datti Campaign Organisation, Diran Onifade, on Sunday, the Labour Party presidential hopeful stated that except the statement he made at the venue of his campaign rally in Ibadan, Oyo State during his recent outing to the city which was widely reported by the media, he did not grant interview to any journalist on the sidelines.
The statement, which described the report that Obi was opposed to the oil exploration in the North-East as a deliberate mischief by the opponents of LP presidential candidate, to demarket him in the North-East and North-West regions of the country ahead of the 2023 presidential poll, however, declared that the plot would fail.
Titled, “Peter Obi Supports North-East Oil Find”, the statement read: “Our attention has been drawn to the false information mischievously attributed to the Presidential Candidate of Labour Party Mr Peter Obi portraying him as being opposed to the commencement of crude oil exploration in Bauchi and Gombe States.
“The fake news deliberately targeted at the North East and North West regions of the country claimed that Mr. Obi made the statement in an interview in Ibadan, Oyo State where he addressed a rally on Wednesday, 23 November, 2022.
“We hereby State categorically that apart from his campaign speech which has been widely reported Mr Obi did not speak with any journalist while in Ibadan.
“He has also not had the cause to make any reference to the oil find in the North East at any time.
“Peter Obi is supportive of any endeavour aimed at improving the economic fortunes of Nigeria. He has stated time and again that his plan for Nigeria’s economic turnaround rests substantially on the vast land of the North.
“He therefore urges all Nigerians to regard the fake news as another ploy by desperate political principalities to hold on to the last straw as they are clearly about to lose their stranglehold on the people and resources of our dear country.”
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