In uniting the country, I will negotiate with bandits and criminals if they want peace — Peter Obi

 

Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has said he would be willing to negotiate with bandits and other criminal elements if they genuinely embrace peace, stressing that his approach to national unity would combine dialogue with decisive action against those who choose v+olence.

Speaking during an interview, Obi said his administration would engage anyone willing to abandon criminality and become part of efforts to build a peaceful and inclusive Nigeria.

“If you make me president, anybody who wants peace, I will talk with him, I will negotiate with him. Anybody who wants war, will go to w+r,” he said when asked whether he would negotiate with bandits and criminals.

Pressed further on whether such negotiations would extend to criminal groups, Obi maintained that people should be given an opportunity to reform if they genuinely desire change.

“I will discuss with anybody. Anybody who wants peace, anybody can say, ‘I’ve changed, I want peace,’” he stated.

Drawing from a personal experience during a visit to a university in the United States, Obi argued that rehabilitation and reintegration are possible even for people with criminal pasts.

He recounted meeting university administrators and lecturers who had previously spent decades in prison before turning their lives around and contributing positively to society.

“So, if you say you want to change and be part of this new Nigeria we’re trying to build, that is possible,” he said.

However, Obi stressed that those unwilling to embrace peace would face the full weight of the law.

“If you don’t want to be part of it, well, we have reached a point where we have to tell ourselves the truth,” he added.

The former Anambra State governor said his broader vision for tackling insecurity is rooted in national unity, inclusiveness and ensuring that no group feels excluded from governance.

“I will unite the country. I will make sure nobody is left behind, no tribe is left behind. There will be inclusiveness. We will show love. We will show care for everybody,” Obi said.