Details have emerged from a private meeting between Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed.
Reports indicates that the closed-door meeting lasted over three hours before both leaders addressed the press.
Speaking after the meeting in Bauchi on Thursday, Governor Mohammed expressed his willingness to collaborate with Obi to promote good governance in Nigeria.
The meeting, which took place at the state’s ‘Presidential Lodge’, focused on tackling poverty and insecurity beyond political, religious, or ethnic divides.
Governor Mohammed stated, “We discussed state-by-state challenges, and I feel highly appreciative of what he is doing as the leader of the opposition because, whether we like it or not, he is the leader of the opposition now in Nigeria. I want to say at this level, not to make some of those doubting Thomases and mischievous minds pre-empt what we are doing, that I’m ready to work with Peter Obi.
“We will make sure we come together, close ranks, bring good governance to the country, and give vibrant opposition with knowledge, timelines, and visions in such a manner that we will rescue and recover our country.
“Our coming together is a message, and the message is going to resonate because all our colleagues, the PDP governors, are behind this kind of journey because it is a transcendental one. We are coming together to work together irrespective of party, region, religion, or any other thing.”
Peter Obi explained that he visited Governor Mohammed for discussions on national issues, given that the governor is a key political figure and Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum.
Obi said, “It’s just a consultation and discussion meeting that will continue to go on as we talk about the future of this country. We have to discuss issues happening in the North. I have told the governor today that the North is a critical component if we are going to get it right in this country.
“There is poverty in Nigeria. We have to deal with the issue of poverty, and until you solve poverty, then you can talk about criminality.”
He emphasized the need for massive investments in key sectors to lift people out of poverty and reduce crime.
The former governor of Anambra State took a swipe at the government of Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s handling of the economy.
“Tinubu promised to continue where Buhari stopped. If you look at it, Buhari left the dollar at about N400, today it is about N1,500. Rice was about N40,000, it is now over N100,000. Fuel was about N300, it is now over N1,000. I can go on and on—everything has doubled and tripled. So, he has done exactly as he promised,” Obi said.
Obi compared Nigeria’s economic performance to that of Indonesia. According to him,the Indonesian government has successfully transformed its economy over the past decade.
“In Indonesia, a president was sworn in about the same time as another one in Nigeria. Ten years later, Indonesia moved their GDP from $800 billion to $1.3 trillion, and their per capita income from $3,000 to $5,000.
“Here in Nigeria, our GDP fell from $500 billion to $200 billion, and per capita income dropped from $3,500 to below $2,000—that is the difference,” he said.
Peter Obi, who finished as the second runner-up in the 2023 presidential election, is widely seen as a major political figure in the rumoured coalition against President Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid, especially due to his strong influence in the southern region of the country.
