LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA) – The presidential candidate of Labour Party, Peter Obi, has called on his counterparts in other parties to suspend their campaigns and join him to help victims of floods across states of the federation.
The former Governor of Anambra State made the call while addressing journalists after his visit to Governor Samuel Ortom.
He visited the Benue State Governor at his Abuja private residence where he had gone to discuss modalities on his planned visit to flood sites in Benue and other states.
In the last two months, Nigeria farmlands have been submerged in Lagos, Yobe, Borno, Taraba, Adamawa, Edo, Delta, Kogi, Niger, Plateau, Benue, Ebonyi, Anambra, Bauchi, Gombe, Kano, Jigawa, Zamfara, Kebbi, Sokoto, Imo, Abia States, and the Federal Capital Territory.
More than 600 people have died in the worst flooding Nigeria has seen in more than a decade, according to the nation’s humanitarian affairs department.
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Sadiya Umar Farouq, said that as of Sunday, over 603 people died, 2,407 were injured and 1.3 million others have been displaced.
Additionally, “about 82,000 homes have been completely destroyed, 108,000 hectares of farmland have been damaged (raising concerns about Nigeria’s food supply) along with 332,000 hectares of roads and infrastructure,” Farouq said.
However, while addressing journalists after his visit to Governor Samuel Ortom, Obi charged other presidential candidates to show concern to the plight of victims of flooding, considering how millions were spent on nomination forms alone.
Obi is in the 2023 race for Aso Rock’s top job alongside Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), amongst others.