The Presidential Candidate of the Labour party, Peter Obi, has said that he will negotiate with various agitators nationwide and adopt the carrot and stick approach to stem the tide of increasing crime rate across Nigeria.
The comment by Peter Obi is coming against the backdrop of agitations by groups like the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), and Yoruba Nation agitators, among others, who are fighting for self-determination as well as seeking to secede from Nigeria.
This was made known on Sunday night by Obi when he and his running mate Datti Baba-Ahmed featured on ‘The People’s Townhall’ organized by Channels Television and its partners, to discuss their plans for the country if elected.
Obi to sit and discuss with agitators
Obi who hinted at governing by consensus said that he will sit down and discuss with every agitator in the country.
- The presidential flagbearer who attributed the situation to a sense of injustice said, “We are in a democratic dispensation; you govern by discussing, you govern by consensus. So, I will sit down and discuss with every agitator without the exception of the name. We must use carrot and stick (approach).’’
He argued that agitations are not new and that even at the family level, children, wives, and others do so but believes negotiations are key.
Obi also explained that another way to address the security challenges in the country is through community policing, noting that as far as he is concerned these things start from the communities.
- “There is no reason we should not have local, state and federal, and national policing,” he said, adding that the constitution will be tweaked to “suit it”.
For the record
- This statement from Peter Obi is coming at a time some groups had accused the Labour party presidential candidate of alleged links with the outlawed group, IPOB, an allegation he has vehemently denied.
- Obi during an interview with Channels Television a few months ago dismissed claims that IPOB is a terrorist organization, stating that its members live around him and do not constitute a threat to the country.
- The IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, who was arrested and repatriated back to Nigeria with the help of INTERPOL in July 2021, has been facing various charges bordering on terrorism instituted by the Federal Government.
