The Presidential candidate of the Labour party in the 2023 Presidential election, Peter Obi, has said that there is no way anyone who forged certificates to get into office will do the right thing while in office.

During an interview with Arise TV on Monday, October 2, the former governor of Anambra state said that while it is not necessary to have the best educational qualifications, one must be honest and honourable about his or her past to be a great leader.

“On issue of qualification, I never said anything with regard to improving the degree or doing this. The issue of qualification is the issue of leaders making statements, doing things that are honest and truthful. This is an issue of honour and integrity. It is the foundation on which you build society.

If you look at what is happening in Nigeria today, there is so many issues of certification, age, all sorts of, one falsification or the other, all over within the leaders. There is no way people can be doing this and be able to do the right things, because that means they are living a falsified life, and that is not good morally and a sign it should be giving to the society.”

The LP 2023 candidate then used the example of several great world leaders and innovators who had bad educational backgrounds, no formal education, or even became school dropouts, and went on to achieve great things that changed the world.

“You don’t necessarily need to have all the degrees in the world to be great, but you need to be honourable about your past so we can know where exactly you are and everything. The world abounds by great people who have poor past and no education, and that formed part of their greatness.”he said

When asked if he will work with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to develop Nigeria, Obi said;

“We are at a point where we are challenging the process, these are part of what makes a nation. The process through which people come into office or assume or achieve anything is far more fundamental than what they do thereafter. It is important that people come through the right door and not just jump in through the window.

As far as I am concerned, again, when it comes to issue of working, even opposition is part of building the process of having the proper government. What is important is that we challenge the process through which this government came into being, and that challenge is still there.”

Meanwhile, Businessman and presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, has lamented the ‘dollarisation’ of the Nigerian economy.

According to Peter Obi, the naira has faded in significance as the use of the dollar in the country has led to unproductivity.

“Dollar has become the underground currency of our economy. It shouldn’t be. We have a currency called the naira. All the things people use dollars to do that are not productive should be removed.’ Obi told Arise TV on Monday, October 2.

“I can assure you that when you remove it, it can strengthen the currency. Today, even when you want to do party primaries, people share dollars. That is not our currency.

“There should be a stiff penalty in dealing with the issue. If people earn dollars legitimately, let them spend it the way they want. However, it has now become a means of corruption and criminality in our system.”

Peter Obi added that the country should work more on exports to strengthen the currency.