‘$150m Diaspora Funding’: Nobody Has Given Me Anything – Peter Obi

The Labour Party Presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has reacted to reports linking him with a $150 million donation from the diaspora to fund his presidential ambition.

A pro-APC group, the Tinubu-Shettima Connect, had earlier called for the LP candidate’s disqualification on the grounds that he received the said sum from abroad in contravention of the electoral act on campaign funding.

However, Obi in his reaction faulted the allegation which he described as mere speculations.

Obi who spoke while addressing Nigerians in London on Tuesday night said his engagements with Nigerians in the diaspora bordered on consultations on how they can be involved in the electoral process and not what they can give him.

“Nobody has given me anything,” he said.

“That is speculation. What I need is not what they would give me. But what they would give Nigeria, because we need them to turn around Nigeria.

“This is the energy, the capacity that we need to turn around Nigeria. Every country that was turned around, was done by the Diaspora. Even in the Bible, Joseph who left later came back to feed his people.

“It is not campaign, it is consultation. I am consulting Nigeria Diasporans to know why they should be involved in the Nigerian electoral process. And you can see from my conversation and everything that what I am doing is saying let’s get involved.

“They are the most critical components of turning around Nigeria. The investment Nigeria needs to turn around is Diasporans. If they believe in Nigeria and bring their resources, both in terms of their material, talent and energy, we will turn around the country.”

“Nigeria 2023 election should not be based on ethnicity, religion, connection, ‘my turn’, or any bias,” he said. “It must be on character, competence, capacity and determination to deal with the problems of Nigeria.”