Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), says Nigerians need to “take back” their country.

He said this on Sunday at the ‘Men of Valour’ conference, organised by the Revival House of International Church (RHOGIC), Abuja.

The conference had the theme ‘Navigating the Corridors of Power, the Church, and the Politics’.

Obi, who described Nigeria’s political space as an “asylum”, said Nigerians cannot allow the current status quo to continue.

“We can’t allow this gangsterism to continue, Nigerians should take back their country. Seventy percent of those who are in politics today should not have any reason to be there. I have said it, politics in Nigeria is a case where lunatics have taken over the asylum,” he said.

“This is the only country where the worst is leading. I was a trader and gradually entered into politics. When you take far more than you need, you are sick.

“How do you explain that one person took N80 billion? It is not greed; it is sickness. When you take N1 billion, that is greed, but when you take N80 billion, that is sickness. Mad people have taken over our politics.

“If we get young people with the competence and capacity to be there, things will change.”

On whether a third force has what it takes to challenge the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the former Anambra governor said it is left for the people to decide.

“It is about the people. When I contested as governor in Anambra, I did so in a small party. People told me that I had no structure. People are the structure. When I was a governor in Anambra, my party had no state or federal lawmaker,” he said.

“When I left as governor, no state was financially stable as Anambra. We were not owing anybody. The people will decide who will rule them. Luckily, we have eight months. Let people come and tell you how they have started. Come and tell us; don’t use people or glossy paper. Tell us from your mouth so that we can hold you to account.”

The Cable