Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 elections, has condemned the recent stampedes that claimed lives across the country.
On Wednesday, over 35 persons, mostly children died in a stampede at a funfair in Ibadan, Oyo state capital.
On Saturday, two stampede incidents also occurred in the Ojika community of Anambra and the Maitama area of Abuja during the distribution of rice and other relief materials.
Over 20 persons reportedly lost their lives in the Anambra incident while 10 persons were confirmed dead in the Abuja stampede.
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In a post shared on his official X handle, Obi said he is deeply saddened by the incidents and puzzled as to why citizens would lose their lives in the search for a meal.
“While I will not cast blame but instead appreciate the organizers of these respective events for their kind gestures in providing palliatives and support to society, especially the poor, these tragedies reflect the systemic failures that plague our society,” he wrote.
“The desperate quest for survival in these harsh economic times has driven our people to extremes in their search for food, often at the cost of their lives.
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“How do we explain that in a nation blessed with abundant resources, our people are dying of hunger in such numbers?
“How is it possible that we cannot feed our citizens despite the vast, fertile lands our nation is endowed with? My heart bleeds.
“One can only imagine the pain their families are enduring at this moment. My heart goes out to them.”
Obi commiserated with the affected families and states.
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President Bola Tinubu cancelled all his official events in Lagos in honour of the stampede victims in Abuja and Anambra state.
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