Ahead of the 2023 general elections, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) has told his teeming supporters to desist from making responding to his critics in an uncivilised manner.
Obi’s admonition is contained in a post shared on his Twitter account, @PeterObi and it came some days after the senior pastor of Covenant Christian Centre, Poju Oyemade, was attacked by Obi’s supporters on the social media for his (Oyemade’s) social media post.
The pastor had, on June 30, advised youths not to waste their enthusiasm on a “poorly planned project.”
“Faith is not just blind belief or hoping for a miracle. Faith sees. Faith has her eyes opened and possesses the evidence upon which it builds its belief. Faith prepares long, sometimes for years just as Joseph did for the years of famine. Faith counts the cost before embarking.
“Without having real evidence upon which you are acting nor preparation for the task, recognising real obstacles that lie ahead and making concrete plans, one is just being delusional about the outcome. The enthusiasm of the youth must not be wasted on poorly planned projects.
“Noah spent months/years planning for the flood & he was operating in faith. Jesus said no man goes to battle without taking stock first nor lays the foundation of a tower without counting the cost first lest he will be mocked. Our faith is intelligent it doesn’t live in denial,” Oyemade, who is the host of The Platform which featured Obi frequently, said.
Although he did not mention any name, his advice was seen as an attack on Obi’s movement which is predominantly made up of youths.
However, the LP standard bearer, in his post, urged his supporters to channel their energy to ways of selling his candidacy to his critics to attain the ultimate goals for the country.
“I sincerely thank my supporters for believing in me and my commitment to building a united, secure and well-functioning Nigeria,” the post reads.
“However, I appeal once more that we should be tolerant of other people’s views, dissent and divergent opinions & possibly learn from them.
“While the frustration and anger in the country is understandable, we must strive to channel that energy positively in ways that will earn the support and collaboration of others.
“Even as our message continues to gain broad acceptance, there are some we still need to work to convince. In expressing ourselves, we should do so with grace so as not to precipitately shut doors to future collaborations on sustainable nation-building,” he wrote.
Recall that Obi is in the club of the big four presidential candidate for the 2023 contest.
The others are Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and a former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria People’s Party (PDP).
