Nigeria’s opposition figure and the Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, has decried the challenges confronting Nigeria, emphasising the need for Nigerians to unseat President Bola Tinubu in 2027.

Mr Obi, while speaking at the launch of a book entitled “The Renaissance of the Obedient Movement” in Abuja on Tuesday, described Nigeria as a crime which must be urgently dismantled.

“We have a country that is unproductive. Instead of spending resources on healthcare and other critical areas, we use them to build and renovate houses that do not need renovation,” said Mr Obi.

He added, “What we have today must be dismantled. We must gang up to remove this because it is not sustainable.”

While lamenting the lack of compassion on the part of the government, Mr Obi said Nigerians are being held hostage in their own country.

He noted, “Today, all of us know that we must dismantle this crime scene called a country because there is no way we’ll be able to survive with this. It is impossible. When the country sinks, nobody will be saved.

“Today, we aren’t at war; Nigerians are in refugee camps in their own country. The only reason is that we don’t have a government that cares for the people. People are being killed daily; nobody goes to them.”

The former governor attributed the high poverty rate in the country to a lack of transparent government, charging Nigerians on collective efforts to fix the crisis.

“Today, we have a system that doesn’t care for the people. Any country where those in government are richer than those in business is producing poverty. We must use our money to purchase value. Everybody is stealing.

“Let’s continue to sacrifice. There is no shortcut to it. If we use shortcuts, we won’t get them. If you want to make money from politics, know that you are part of the problem. We need to fix this and make this country work,” Mr Obi insisted.

Meanwhile, the ruling All Progressives Congress recently said the president has performed better than his predecessors. It also criticised opposition party members planning a coalition to unseat Mr Tinubu.

The party’s spokesperson, Felix Morka, stated, “The hue and cry from opposition members such as Rotimi Amaechi, Nasir El-Rufai, or Atiku Abubakar don’t cut it. Because they know in their heart Tinubu is doing exactly what any right-thinking leader would do for Nigeria.”