Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe believes that Nigeria would be in a better state if Peter Obi, the Labour Party candidate in the 2023 presidential election, emerged victorious.
Abaribe made this assertion during an interview on Politics Today on Channels Television on Monday.
The lawmaker accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of deepening nepotism, a practice he argued would have been absent under Obi’s leadership.
“If Peter Obi had won, you probably would have seen a better Nigeria than what we are seeing today,” Abaribe stated. “Number one, he would not be as nepotistic as this government. It’s not in him. That is just who we are; we feel for other people.”
Abaribe criticized Tinubu’s appointment of four ministers from Ogun State, while many other states have only one, describing it as unfair and further evidence of nepotism.
He argued that the practice, which he said began under former President Muhammadu Buhari, has worsened under Tinubu because previous concerns were largely ignored
The senator urged the people of the South-East to focus on revamping their region instead of waiting for equitable treatment from successive federal administrations.
He noted that apart from former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan, no Nigerian leader had been fair to the South-East.
“It is high time the South-East worked to make the region more livable, better, and cohesive,” Abaribe said.
Abaribe also welcomed the recent arrest of Simon Ekpa, the self-acclaimed Prime Minister of Biafra in exile, in Finland.
He described the development as a step toward reducing violence in the South-East, as Ekpa had been accused of inciting unrest from abroad.
“The arrest of Ekpa will send a strong signal to those instigating violence at home,” he said, adding that many in the Igbo community have long condemned Ekpa’s actions.
The senator further argued that the release of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), would play a crucial role in restoring peace to the region.
“Many of those perpetrating violence in Kanu’s name will no longer have a reason to continue if he is released,” Abaribe concluded.