The 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, has challenged politicians to stop discussing politics and focus on the development of Nigeria and her people.

Obi gave this charge on Friday at the Margaret Ekpo International Airport, Calabar, after addressing University of Calabar Dentistry students.

According to him, it was about time politicians left 2027 and focused discussion around the development of the people and investing in measurable areas like health, education, and pulling people out of poverty.

“We (politicians) must stop discussing politics and start discussing the development of the people, investing in the real measurable areas of development, such as education and health and pulling people out of poverty, and we can’t do that without investing in the people.

“Governance is about the people, service is about our people. By doing this, I want to ensure and create awareness that we politicians should abandon discussing politics daily and start discussing governance and welfare of the people.

“We cannot have a society where we spend millions to buy cars for political office holders, and young people are looking for tools to get quality education. They don’t have classrooms, they don’t have chairs, but we politicians are living like stars. It shouldn’t be. We must dismantle it and invest in the critical areas of development. I was once like them; that’s why I’m struggling to build a society where a child of nobody can be somebody,” he said.

The former Anambra State governor also urged the students to take their education seriously as it remains their greatest asset in life for global competition and declined to talk about politics and the 2027 election.

“I don’t want to talk about politics. 2027 is not what I want to talk about. Let me talk about how the average Nigerian can put food on his table.

“Today, let me talk about how these children can be in school, how our primary and secondary schools can work, how the average Nigerian can go to hospital and be cured, and when 2027 comes, we’ll be there, and I will surely contest,” he added.