Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), has said the 2023 general elections proved that the Yorubas do not hate the Igbo people.
According Vanguard, Obi made this statement while receiving the 2024 Courageous Citizen Award from the Nigerian-American Coalition for Justice and Democracy (NACJD) in Abuja on Saturday.
The former Anambra State governor emphasized that the election was not driven by a Christian or Igbo agenda.
Instead, he noted that the 2023 general election saw Nigerians unite across tribal and religious lines, debunking the notion that Yorubas hate Igbos.
“It was a time that Nigerians united and spoke with one voice regardless of tribe, tongue, or religion. The 2023 election wasn’t a Christian or Igbo project. It was a Nigerian project. I saw our legends and elder statesmen come together for the first time. I was glad to see people like former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, and others stand their ground. I am saying this to correct the impression that the Yorubas hate Igbo people. A lot of people made certain sacrifices because we just wanted to say ‘Enough is enough’ in Nigeria. Imagine those who had lost their lives for the cause of a new Nigeria,” he said.
Obi further noted that the massive voter turnout was an indication that Nigerians desired a change from the status quo.
Recall that Obi came third in the 2023 presidential election, trailing behind Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the winner, President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
However, prior to the election, a significant number of Nigerian youths embraced Obi’s ideology and turned out en masse to vote for him.
