• ‘My focus on how to make Nigeria work, not 2027 polls’

• Ex-Anambra governor upbeat on amicable resolution of LP crisis

The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in last year’s general election, Mr. Peter Obi, has faulted the construction of new roads while existing one are in a state of disrepair.

Obi said his criticism of the 70,000-kilometre coastal highway was based on the reality that many roads across the country needed urgent repairs to put them in a good condition for users.

The former Anambra State governor said this in a statement by erstwhile spokesperson of the LP Presidential Campaign Council, Yunusa Tanko, yesterday in Abuja.

He said: “I cannot embark on a new road when we can’t connect our states and cities in all the geopolitical zones because of bad roads. I will first fix the roads and move the economy.”

Responding to a question that he did not build any new school when he was governor of Anambra State, Obi said those making such a claim were unaware of his manifesto.

The LP stalwart recalled that when he was Anambra State governor, education was in shambles, schools were closed, and the state was Number 26 in the country.

According to him, by the time he left, Anambra was Number One in the country.

“I improved the quality, physical and mental well-being of the people. The schools had the basic things they needed and the people shone like stars and that was my manifesto. Building new schools when the old ones are moribund is just like building coastal lines when internal roads are impassable,” Obi added.

Also, the LP stalwart said he remained focused on seeing Nigeria working and not on the 2027 general election.

“Only God can tell who can run for an election in future. My interest now is the poor and how to see Nigeria work,” Obi said.

The former governor said the crisis rocking the party would be resolved amicably as it is not beyond what could be handled peacefully.

“What is happening in the Labour Party is child’s play compared to what is going on in the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),” he added.

Obi urged rich Nigerians to do more for the poor by providing water and education, especially.

The LP stalwart said 70 per cent of the wealth of Nigeria is in the hands of about one per cent of Nigerians.

He noted that if one cent of the population of about 200,000 rich Nigerians could deploy their resources for the basic needs of the poor, the situation would not be as deplorable as it is currently.

Obi urged government at all levels to deploy resources to raise the living standards of the poor and pull them out of poverty.

Obi announced the completion of the construction of 10 boreholes in some northern states for a short-term water supply for the poor.

He said if 200,000 rich Nigerians joined him to do the same in the areas of their choice, it would go a long way to solve the water needs of the poor.