According to Peter Obi, the presidential candidate for the Labour Party, criticising agitators' acts in the nation is insufficient without also looking at their underlying causes.
Obi strongly denounced the acts of all agitators who used violence and property destruction to further their causes on Monday, January 16, 2023, in Chatham House.
When asked if he disapproved of the acts of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in the southeast of the area, the LP candidate responded in the negative.
In 2017, Nigeria declared IPOB a terrorist organisation, and in May 2022, the UK recognised that designation.
Many Nigerians believe Obi is reluctant to criticise the outlawed group because they want to use violence and unrest to sever the southeast from the rest of the nation.
On Sunday, January 15, 2023, this opinion appeared to be reinforced when the presidential candidate named ISWAP and Boko Haram as terrorist organisations but left IPOB off the list.
But Obi emphasised that he has always opposed all agitators, including IPOB, which has frequently been held accountable for acts of violence and destruction of property in the southeast of the country.
He said, “You are not following me, even yesterday; I spoke about Biafra being ended 53 years ago. I condemned all agitators, but in condemning them, you have to look at what brought these agitations all over the place. So, we have IPOB, the Yoruba Nation movement; we have all sorts. It’s all over the place in the space.
“When you have created this level of massive poverty, where 63 per cent of your population is poor, you’re going to create all sorts of problems. I was speaking to a British minister this morning, and I said we have about 40 per cent unemployment, about 60 per cent youth unemployment, young people in their productive age doing nothing, if you have 15 per cent unemployment in Britain today, you’re going to have massive agitation. Nobody will be able to leave his house”.
He said that a lack of leadership caused agitations in many parts of Nigeria.
“What you have seen is a cumulative effect of leadership failure over the years, which will be solved by good governance, When people start seeing justice, fairness, and inclusive government and doing the right thing, all those things will start reversing themselves (sic),” he said.
Many young Nigerians support Obi’s presidential campaign, and these supporters are known as Obidients.