Former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, has slammed President Muhammadu Buhari over sending the wrong signals to Nigeria with the constant pictures of heartless and valueless politicians who defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Obi said such photoshoots have done nothing to boost the image of the country or to encourage those that have been patriotic and flying the nation’s flag high with credible achievements.
He added that the international community will be getting the wrong picture about our national values if the President continues to take such pictures with politicians.
Describing the defecting politicians as heartless and valueless, Obi said instead of promoting such behaviours, the President should use his good office to identify with Nigerians that are making an impact, noting that such pictures can then serve as further motivation for such people or for those looking up to such achievements.
The former Governor made his mind known during a chat with Arise TV on Monday.
In his view, constantly taking pictures with defecting politicians “is sending the wrong signal that you can be anything and be elevated into something.”
Instead, the former vice presidential candidate of the PDP called on Buhari to take pictures “at the funeral of our falling soldiers, police, or their family” or with “young people who are doing innovative things in the tech industry.”
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He added that “Let me tell you what I found worrisome about the defection of today. What I found worrisome is people, weekly and daily, being led to go and take photoshoots with the president, I’m worried about it. I want to see the president taking pictures at the funeral of our falling soldiers, police, or their family.”
“I want to see him taking pictures with young people who are doing innovative things in the tech industry. I want to see him taking pictures with people who are making a lot of impact; not pictures with those of us — I’m generalising politicians — who are heartless, valueless. It is very worrisome. Those pictures are not helping our country. The perception is sending the wrong signal that you can be anything and be elevated into something. That’s why the country is collapsing.”
While Mr. Obi didn’t mention any name, it will be recalled that the ruling APC has recently made it a habit to publicly present major politicians defecting to their party to the President.
The latest of such episodes occurred with former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode who defected from the PDP to the APC last Thursday and was resented to President Buhari at the Villa by the APC National Caretaker Chairman, Mai Mala Buni in the company of other party stalwarts.
