No amount of condolences, prayers, sympathies and commiseration could ever fathom the depth of the grief of Papa Shyngle and Mama Stella Wigwe. And the reason is simple: no parents should ever have to bury any of their children. The reverse should always be the case. And this is a deep principle of humanity that is not restricted by culture or society. It is just simply the natural order of things. It is fundamental—and indeed a thing of joy for all parents—that they would be buried by their children. When the reverse happens, and one loses a child, then the entirety of one’s existence is shrunk into that indissoluble vacuum of pain and grief. The depth of that sorrow becomes bottomless when one loses more than one child. Since I heard about the terrible calamity that befell this beautiful octogenarian couple, I have come to fathom the depth of what Aeschylus, the ancient Greek tragedian, meant when he said, “There is no pain so great as the memory of joy in present grief.”

This brief statement sums up the depth of the bereavement of Papa and Mama Wigwe: their minds would be clouded simultaneously with remembrances of the births of their sons, their upbringing and naughtiness while growing up, their struggles to raise them as godly as God would permit, their collective memories of moments of joys and happy events and incidences, their family traditions and Christian values, the successes of their children, and many more. All this while their entire being register as starkly as it can the fact that a second child just died with his family when they had barely dealt with the pain of losing the first one. But there is more. Papa and Mama Wigwe are solid Christians. I can attest to that. And they have been serving God for as long as my memory of relating with them (albeit from a distance) could permit. Since this tragic incidence happened, the first verse of the first chapter of Job has run ceaselessly in my mind: “There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.” This is my summation of Papa and Mama Wigwe.

And yet, they lost two children. The story of Job is one of the most challenging books of the Bible. And its challenge is purely because of demonstrating one of the cornerstones of a deep theological paradox: how could a good God create a world that is filled with evil, or even permit those committed to him to be ravaged by such evils? Since God created the world and certified that his creation is good, how did evil creep in? The problem of evil in a world created by a good God has troubled Christian theologians and apologetics, from St. Augustine to Ravi Zacharias, for centuries. Losing two fully grown children that one had trained to such a period in their lives does not square with the joy of bringing them into the world and the sacrifices of upbringing. And yet, Osita and Herbert left their parents in the world.

The theological problem caused by the life and trauma of Job in the bible also raises a larger philosophical question I will like to touch in this lamentation. For anyone who has read the book of Job and has witnessed the tragedy that good people have encountered in life, the question is: why do bad things keep happening to good people? Papa and Mama Wigwe are good people. Both have been together for 56 six years, more than five decades of a love story sweetened by the birth of six children, including Osita and Herbert. When in an interview, Papa reminisced about Osita— “That boy was one in a million. He had the attributes of a daughter; he had the attributes of a son. He was a solution provider to all family problems”—I have a deep and intimate sense of what Papa Wigwe was talking about. I encountered Osita as a graduate student at the University of Ibadan (he was then a final-year engineering student), and I knew him deeply at many of his beautiful and humane personality. Pa Wigwe was then the DG at the Nigerian Television Authority, and that was how I met him and Mama for the first time.

Osita was a very brilliant young man. I know this because we were both members of the University of Ibadan debating team, and I had a first-hand experience of how an engineering student could be so deeply knowledgeable and magisterial in a field usually dominated by students from the humanities and the social sciences. When I raised the issue of why he was an engineering student and not in, say, the humanities, his response gave me a solid insight into the deep flow of affection between father and son, and how that led to Osita’s desire to follow in the footsteps of his father the engineer. During a period when I was still searching for an intellectual enlightenment, rather than a spiritual one, I was immensely fascinated with Osita Wigwe, his intellectual brilliance, deep family values and pure spiritual commitment. It was essentially due to him that I visited the RCCG for the first time in 1986, and would eventually become a staunch member much later. Which was why I was baffled and very confused as to how such a spiritual father could experience the death of such a godly son—the same way I could still never wrap my head round the death of Pastor Enoch Adeboye’s son, Dare. And then twenty-seven years later after Osita’s demise, as if God still has some unfathomable purpose for Pa and Ma Wigwe, Osita’s kid-brother is taken.

Questions and more puzzling questions. Who knows why the Almighty would allow Job to be tempted? Who knows why sit-tight African leaders, the very incarnate of the diabolical, who sit on the people’s democratic liberation, would just not topple over and be transited? Job imparted an everlasting lesson that each one of us increasingly come to internalize and try as much as we have it within us to live with: humans are born to troubles. In philosophical terms, for Fredrich Nietzsche, “To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering.” This is one juncture where the pastoral calling would be a heavy burden for Papa and Mama Wigwe to bear. This is a time when it would be justified for even a role model with a spiritual responsibility to give vent to his or her doubts and frustrations with life and with God. This is a Job moment. It is a moment to reflect back to June 5, 1997, drag that reflection to the fiery trauma of February 9, 2023, and then try to connect the dots in existential and spiritual terms. Where could the hands of the Almighty be in all this? How could the meaning and purpose be uncovered?

Eventually, we all—believers, agnostics and non-believers alike—must bow before the inscrutable universe, and the denseness of the mystery that pervades all we have to deal with in life. For Christians, “great is the mystery of godliness” (I Timothy 3:16). Great is also the mystery of why good people like Papa and Mama Wigwe needed to suffer the death of two sons. We can theorize all we want about why terrible and traumatic things happen to good people. And yet we must eventually just accept that we are powerless against the Divine Mind that crafted a world where humans have survived—borne on the wings of faith—the harshest, cruelest and most challenging of all trials. Indeed, there are those who have passed through the excruciating valley of the shadow of death, but received grace and mercy to look back in gratitude for God’s deep wisdom in holding the world together, and holding us together at the critical moments of our needs.

Now close to their nine decades in life, Papa Shyngle and Mama Stella Wigwe have walked with God for far too long not to be able to recognize His presence at this moment of unbearable sorrow—no matter how dim that presence might be now. No matter how intrusive and heavy the question of why the hand of the Almighty was heavy upon them, they must find comfort in Jesus’ sorrowful lamentation on the cross: “My Father, my Father, why have you forsaken me?” Papa and Mama Wigwe are knowledgeable about the purpose behind the crucifixion of the Lord; may they be able to find a good grip on God’s wisdom that mold us all in the fiery furnace of life.

Let me conclude this difficult homily with William Blake, the English poet: “Can I see another's woe, and not be in sorrow too? Can I see another's grief, and not seek for kind relief?” But I ask: How much sympathy, weeping, lamentation or homilies can comfort one in perplexing loss? We can only drown our grief in the assurance that God—the owner of the universe and our lives—knows what he is doing.

When peace like a river attendeth my way,
when sorrows like sea billows roll;
whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say,
"It is well, it is well with my soul."

It is well with Papa Shyngle and Mama Stella; it is well with the entire Wigwe family.

Presidential Candidate of Labour Party in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of deceiving Nigerians with report of the poll released earlier on Friday.

In the 526-page report of the 2023 elections, formally released ahead of the first anniversary of the election, INEC explained why the IREV failed to upload the presidential results despite the seamless working of the bimodal voter accreditation system (BVAS).

The commission attributed the challenge to technical glitches, which was, however resolved and that this did not in any way affect the credibility of the elections.

Obi, who spoke through Dr Yunusa Tanko, the Chief Spokesperson, Obi-Datti Campaign Committee, described the report as medicine after death.

“I think the INEC report is medicine after death. The truth about it is that if I didn’t mean that INEC actually deal with this issue as it happened during the election, possibly Nigerians will have believed and trusted this particular report.”

“But here we are, the report of the INEC which signifies that the IREV refused to function or been uploaded during the election is false. Considering the fact that there were three elections that happened on that day, the Federal House of Representatives, the Senate, and the result was uploaded and there was no issue.

“Why must there be issue as regard to the presidential election? So totally for us is deceit, disdain for the people and is trying to promote an indecency,” he said.

He lamented that unfortunately everyone knew when INEC gave a written document, citing that they would not agree with any result that is not posted on the IREV.

“It is documented and everybody saw it. But then this is the same INEC who went again to the Supreme Court citing that they had an authority to collate the result manually and it was stamped on authority on illegality by our judiciary.

“And you want to convince me that that particular issue of glitch was not done deliberately? The truth is that nobody was arrested. Somebody ought to have been arrested who has been saddled with that responsibility.

“And if he is saddled with the responsibility, he must be held responsible and account for why the glitches occur.

“And even if there was a glitch, it’s just like your network taking off. It shouldn’t take up to a whole day. A few seconds it is off, three seconds it is back. Why was the server not back or why is the glitch not resolved?

“So for me and many of us, this is totally unacceptable. The report is deceitful to the Nigerian people. Our electoral Act and electoral law must be revisited to give clarity as regard to the process of our election.

“We don’t want to give any lacuna to any of our election process and give room for the judiciary only to decide who wins election. Election should be done and dusted at the polling units,” he said.

The Youth Wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria (YOWICAN) has demanded prompt arrest and public legal proceedings against Muslim Cleric, Idris Abdulaziz Dusen Tenshi.

Naija News reports that the cleric was reportedly advocating for the killing of Senator Oluremi Tinubu, the wife of the President, branding her an “infidel” because of her Christian faith.

This demand was put forth during the 2024 National Prayer Day and the 1st Quarter National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of YOWICAN, held at the National Christian Centre in Abuja on Friday.

The YOWICAN Chairman, Belusochukwu Enwere, articulated the council’s unified viewpoint in a formal communication, underscoring the immediate necessity for governmental and security authorities to intervene.

The communiqué partly stated, “NEC is calling for the immediate arrest of the Muslim Cleric (Idris Abdulaziz Dusen Tenshi) who has called for the killing of the wife of the President, Sen Oluremi A Tinubu, for being a Christian. Describing her as an infidel.

“The NEC is calling for the public prosecution of the cleric and wish to request the said preacher should be restricted from preaching in Nigeria to serve as a deterrent to others.

“The NEC is giving the Federal Government and security agencies to act immediately to avoid the further deterioration of security situation in the country because of the unguided statement/utterance.”

The NEC meeting also addressed comprehensive concerns affecting the nation, including economic challenges faced by citizens amid rising living costs and the deteriorating security situation marked by widespread killings across the country.

YOWICAN emphasized the employment crisis, urging the government to enact targeted policies to tackle youth unemployment, stressing the significance of engaging young individuals in the country’s development endeavours.

The House of Representatives Committee on the National Agency on Food, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has decided to temporarily lift the ban on the sale of spirits and alcoholic drinks in sachets and pet bottles until the investigation is completed.

Chairperson of the House Committee on NAFDAC, Regina Akume, made this announcement in Abuja on Friday following a public hearing on the ban of these products last week.

She emphasized the importance of following proper procedures before imposing a ban, highlighting the necessity of implementing access control measures to prevent children and young people from accessing and consuming alcoholic beverages sold in sachets and pet bottles.

Akume underscored the committee’s responsibility in ensuring the efficiency and effectiveness of NAFDAC in promoting job creation and economic development.

She promised to reach a level playing field between NAFDAC and manufacturers that would not be detrimental to children or public safety.

Earlier, the Director General of NAFDAC, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, emphasized that the prohibition was implemented with the intention of safeguarding the well-being and safety of children, young individuals, and other susceptible populations.

“We tried to protect the market, and that was why we agreed to a five-year moratorium for the manufacturers to phase out alcoholic drinks in sachets and pet bottles in December 2018,” Adeyeye said.

She further explained that the decision was not solely made by NAFDAC but rather a ministerial directive, and now the five-year period has elapsed.

Adeyeye expressed her surprise at the manufacturers’ campaign, despite the agreement to ban alcohol in sachets and pet bottles.

She emphasized that many problems could have been resolved earlier, clarifying that the agency does not oppose the production of alcoholic beverages but rather the packaging in sachets and pet bottles in order to prevent children from having easy access to them.

A Northern group, Civil Society For Credible Election has stated that erstwhile president, Muhammadu Buhari should be blamed for the economic crisis plaguing the nation.

The group lamented that President Bola Tinubu inherited the challenges from his predecessor.

They shared their reservations while addressing newsmen in Kano.

Umar argued that Tinubu had since hit the ground working to reverse the situation through various steps and policies put in place.

He subsequently called on Nigerians to exercise patience with the President as things will be better in no distant time in the country.

According to him, “We recognize the fact that Nigerians are passing through hardship at the moment. It is a result of a global economic meltdown, but only further compounded by some shortcomings of the last administration under former president Muhammadu Buhari.

“What people need to know about Nigeria’s present challenges is that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu inherited them from the past administration of former president Buhari but as a determined leader, Tinubu is pulling all strings together to overcome them head-on.

“Nigerians are all living witness to the phantom steps and policies of the present administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to address the country’s sociocultural, economic and political indices.

“What President Tinubu need from all Nigerians now is patience, cooperation and understanding of the administration reforms policies. These reforms are strategic and competent enough to in no distant time make all Nigerians proud of their beloved country.”

Yoruba nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Igboho, has described as incorrect, the assertion made by some Nigerians that President Bola Tinubu is responsible for the rot in the country.

Tinubu, who was sworn in on May 29, 2023, announced the removal of the subsidy during his first address, a decision that increased the cost of petrol and economic inflation.

This is against the backdrop that the Buhari-led government did not make provisions for petroleum subsidies in the 2023 budget.

Speaking during a visit to the palace of the monarch of Igboho town in Oyo State on Friday, Adeyemo said, “Some people believe it is Tinubu that spoils the country; it is not Tinubu. When Buhari was in government, I was shouting for us (Yoruba) to be united and free ourselves from slavery, saying that Buhari did not have anything to offer us.

“Let’s free ourselves and divide Nigeria. Some people were saying it is what he will eat that he is looking for. Buhari handed over spoiled Nigeria to Tinubu. Tinubu spent six months in office; we are cursing him. What did he do?”

On July 1, 2021, Igboho escaped from a deadly night raid on his Ibadan residence by the operatives of the Department of State Service.

Buhari knocked for economic crisis, EFCC defies order with night raid: Weekly news recap
He was subsequently arrested in Benin Republic on his way to Germany on July 19 together with his wife, Ropo. Igboho was, however, released in October 2023.

The Yoruba nation agitator returned to Nigeria about 30 months after for the burial of his mother, who died on July 22, 2023.

In a video that has since gone viral on social media, Igboho was spotted sitting on top of a car while being welcomed by a mammoth crowd in his home town of Oyo State.

While addressing his supporters at the monarch’s palace, he accused Buahari of sending the security agency to kill him because he was defending the rights of the Yoruba people.

He said, “Buhari sent his soldiers and DSS to arrest me in my house because I said Yoruba’s are not slaves to Fulani. Fulani cannot suppress us in our father’s land.

“Fulani can’t stop our fathers and mothers from going to their farms. Fulani can’t dare it. But, I’m back with the power of God and authority, not that of man. I use the power that God used to create the universe.”

The Independent National Electoral Commission has insisted that the 2023 poll was free and fair, noting that it reflected the wishes of Nigerians.

The commission added that an analysis of the poll showed that no party dominated it and the spread of results across party lines was better than in previous elections conducted in the country.

INEC’s position was contained in a 526-page document titled, ‘The Report of 2023 General Election,’ made available to Saturday PUNCH.

The commission, however, noted that the currency swap by the Central Bank of Nigeria, attacks on INEC facilities, and a few glitches were the challenges encountered during the elections.

The National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, described the poll as unique “in terms of keeping to the timetable, new 80 clauses in the Electoral Act, and introduction of new technologies which made voting easier.”

Olumekun stated, “In keeping with our tradition over the last four electoral cycles, and our commitment to transparency, we are pleased to announce the release of the official INEC report on the 2023 general election.

“The report showcases the election’s unparalleled diversity in party representation, demonstrating significant democratic progress. This election saw four political parties winning governorship races, seven parties winning senatorial seats, eight in federal constituencies and nine in state legislatures, illustrating a broad shift in political representation across Nigeria.”

He further stated that the 2023 general elections were “perhaps the best planned and most innovative election in Nigeria”.

“The election witnessed the highest number of eligible voters and voting locations across the country with the participation of over one million election duty officials and the deployment of enormous logistic requirements including over 100,000 vehicles and about 4,000 boats protected by gunboats,” the report added.

Meanwhile, political parties have criticised the 2023 general elections report released by the INEC.

The chief spokesperson of the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council, Yunusa Tanko, blamed INEC for covering its “illegality,” adding that the release of the report was medicine after death.

Tanko said, “This is medicine after death. INEC should have made this particular clarification at the time of the election and promised to make amends and pick up from where they stopped.

“However, what is happening is that INEC is trying to cover its tracks after the judiciary had one way or the other legalised their illegality.

“Let me explain better. If INEC says that this is what they are going to do and later on goes to the court to say that they have the right to do manual collation then the court justifies that particular action, it is unacceptable. It is a conspiracy.”

In the same vein, the presidential candidate and former chairman, of the Inter-Party Advisory Council, Yabagi Sani, urged INEC to deal with the culprit involved in the glitches it encountered during the elections.

“Whoever was responsible for the glitches should be dealt with in a manner that should serve as a deterrent for the future because accountability is key.

“INEC should be commended for coming out clean. They should be given a pass mark. We will keep improving in our electoral process. We can now point out exactly what happened,” Sani noted.

The spokesperson of the Peoples Democratic Party, Debo Ologunagba, when contacted said the party needed to critically look at the report before making its decisions known.

But the Publicity Director of the All Progressives Congress, Bala Ibrahim, said, “Nigerians should salute INEC for being honest and sincere by admitting errors or failures on its side. Whatever we do, we should admit that we are humans and we are not infallible.

“Everything that is technologically based or IT-based is liable to some failures. Even in established democracies where they have perfect infrastructures on IT, they still have glitches here and there.”

The Academic Staff Union of Universities has accused the Nigerian government of inflicting hardship on lecturers and students.

Speaking on Friday at a press conference organised at the University of Lagos by the Lagos Zone of the union, the Zonal Coordinator, Prof Adelaja Odukoya, explained that it was imperative to update Nigerians about the events that transpired after the last nationwide strike that was suspended on October 14, 2022, ASUU’s interactions with the present administration, and the possible consequences of the lack of notable actions by the authorities.

ASUU had over time lamented the government’s refusal to fulfil the agreements it had with lecturers.

Odukoya said the government had shown consistent insensitivity to agreements and the well-being of patriotic academics in Nigeria’s public universities.

“The government has persisted in inflicting misery on lecturers and students in Nigeria, despite their sincere efforts to elevate our public universities to a global standard. ASUU is unfazed in its patriotic endeavors.

“To reposition the Nigerian university system, we call on other patriots in the media, labour movement, student organisations, and civil society organisations to join ASUU in the rejection of the government’s master-slave posture on labour matters,” he said.

Odukoya insisted that despite its promises ahead of assuming office, the Bola Tinubu administration had failed to live up to expectations concerning the issues that had been at the forefront of the union’s recent strike actions, the last being from February to October 2022.

Some of the issues he highlighted were the renegotiation of the FGN/ASUU 2009 agreement, withheld salaries, unpaid arrears of earned academic allowance, removal from integrated personnel and payroll information system, public universities and the treasury single account, and proliferation of universities.

Speaking on TETFUND and foreign partnerships, Odukoya said, “As if the abuse and violation of TETFUND by the government are not enough, our union has further noted reports in the media, not refuted, of TETFUND’s intention to help King’s College, London, to establish a medical school in Nigeria in the name of partnership.

“We urge the leadership of the Fund to provide further updates on this proposed course of action and allay fears that it is contemplating funds meant for the development of Nigerian institutions for the development of foreign ones. We believe very strongly that there are many areas in which the agency can strengthen its interventions to the benefit of Nigerian universities.”

The federal government has said that the Port-Harcourt refinery would begin operation by producing two million litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) otherwise known as petrol and 2.2 million litres of diesel per day.
The government said this after an inspection tour of the facility along with the leadership of organised labour.

Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, who disclosed this, said the refinery was 80 percent completed.

She explained that the old plant would begin with 54,000 barrels per day, while the new plant which is currently going through its last phase of completion would also begin production before the end of the year.

“The combined capacity of the two plants, when fully on stream, would produce 10 million litres of PMS per day,” Onyejeocha said in a statement issued by the Director of Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Olajide Oshundun on Thursday.

A scheduled visit to the Port-Harcourt refinery was one of the points listed in the 16 – points agreement reached with the government last year by organised labour.

The minister reiterated the government’s commitment to social dialogue with organized labour and other stakeholders towards achieving industrial peace and harmony, while prioritising workers’ welfare.

She appealed to union leaders to see the strike as the last option.

The minister said: “Issuing of constant strike threat could send wrong signals to potential investors. This is not healthy for our business environment.”

According to the statement, the minister met with the leadership of TUC to review the progress reports of agreements reached in October 2023 between the government and organised labour.

“During the review, the minister read each item on the memorandum of understanding among which were the payment of four out of six months on wage award, the committee of minimum wage review, payment of outstanding salaries and wages of tertiary education workers in federal- owned educational institutions, suspension of VAT on diesel, payment of N25,000 conditional cash transfer to 3,140,819 households, including the pensioners.

“While she said the government has made a huge financial commitment to the provision of CNG Buses and conversion Kits, she also explained that the procurement process was slowing down the launch but measures were already in place to fast-track the process.

“The minister explained that the government has commenced a series of engagements with relevant stakeholders on tax incentives, just as the leadership crises rocking NURTW and RTEAN have been resolved.

“Among the progress made are subsidized distribution of fertilizers to farmers across the country, government’s engagement with various state governments and the private sector on the issue of the implementation of wage award for their workers, and plans to encourage MSEs in the country to create jobs and boost the economy.

“Speaking on the inspection visit to the Port-Harcourt refinery by TUC and federal government delegation, the minister said reports by organized labour and government established that the Port-Harcourt refinery is 80% completed,” the statement said.

The leadership of TUC led by its Secretary General, Nuhu Toro commended the government for the progress recorded so far in implementing a substantial part of the agreement, but differed with the government on some of the items.

He said, for instance, that while the issue of RTEAN has been resolved, that of NURTW has not been resolved.

“If the issue of the president of the union has not been resolved, it suggests that the issue of NURTW has not been resolved.

“You have carefully done justice to the items, and we commend you and the federal government, but we expect fulfillment of all the agreements,” said Nuhu Toro.

He said some of the items have not been fully implemented but from their own assessment, the government has achieved 50% implementation.

According to Toro, “50% is a pass mark, but we urge you to do more. We know there are challenges, but we are very optimistic that they could be addressed”.

While the minister disagreed with the 50% rating by the union, citing reasons, Comrade Toro said 50% is a good performance on the side of the government.

Deputy President of TUC, Kayode Alakija, thanked the minister for her consistency with union leaders and appealed to her to back some of the gray areas with data to reconcile them.

He said: “We will appreciate it if you back up the VAT with empirical data. You said you got the information from the office of the Finance Minister. So, we would appreciate it if they could supply you with data on how they arrived at the information.”

Among those present at the meeting were the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Ismail Abubakar; the Director of Trade Union Services and Industrial Relations, M A. Yusuf and other directors and departmental heads of the ministry.

On the side of the TUC, were its Secretary General, Toro, its Vice President, Alakija Kayode, Deputy President, and two others.

The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, has disclosed that he has no plans to leave the party.

He also described insinuations from certain quarters that he was leaving the party as the handwork of political mischief makers.

Obi, in a statement on Friday, signed by the Peter Obi Media Reach (POMR) said enemies of democracy bent on causing crisis in the Labour Party are the ones spreading rumours about his defection.

The LP candidate, in a statement signed by his media aide, Michael Jude Nwolisa, on Friday, dismissed the trending fake and fallacious news story suggesting that he was parting ways with the Labour Party.

“This is not true and it did not originate from Obi or the Obidient Movement but from mischief makers bent on sowing the seed of discord in the party.

“These rising misdemeanors on the party did not start today as they set out to destroy and disorganize the party all to get at Obi and derail the inevitable journey of rescuing Nigeria.

“Presently our principal is preoccupied with making Nigeria work not on partisan politics which ended on October 26, 2023, when the Supreme Court of the land took their final decision on the general elections.

“Those bent on creating a crisis in the Labour Party are clearly enemies of democracy wishing for the failed status quo to remain.

“OBI’s focus at the moment is on creating an environment where democracy is to be practiced according to the defined tenets not the rascality and all forms of impunity prevalent in the country today

“Peter Obi, therefore, would like to assure Nigerians, particularly the Obidient family that his way with Labour is unshaken and intact and that the struggle to rescue Nigeria from the criminal gangs holding it down will not stop until it’s achieved through the will of the Nigerian people,” the statement reads.