Peter Obi, the Labour Party's candidate for president in the 2023 general election, denied being overly focused on taking over from President Bola Tinubu as the next president.
A few days ago, Obi faced criticism after he disagreed with the Federal Government's timing and prioritization of the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project.
The LP presidential candidate suggested that the government should focus on fixing bad roads across Nigeria instead of trying to build a big coastal road.
However, some critics on social media mocked him, claiming that he only criticizes the current administration because he's desperate to become president in 2027.
Some also questioned whether the former Anambra governor has the vision and ability to make a difference if he becomes president.
Speaking to reporters in Abuja, Obi expressed his disappointment, emphasizing that some people often avoid discussing serious issues affecting the country.
He stated, "We live in a system where public officials and politicians are only visible during elections. I have said many times that I am not overly eager to become the president of Nigeria. But I am eager to see poor and less privileged Nigerians being helped out of their difficult situation every day.
"That is what I am eager to see. And everyone can do it as well. You can't be happy or fulfilled when several million Nigerians don't know where their next meal will come from. When I see children suffering, it adds to my pain. This is not about a campaign."
Obi also revealed that if he were to become president, he would focus on repairing existing roads instead of approving contracts for new ones.
While discussing how bad some major highways, such as Lagos-Badagry and Kano-Kaduna, have become, the politician insisted that those projects should be the priority of any serious government.
"If I were the president of Nigeria today, no one would think of any new road until we finish the existing ones. In this country, we always try to do things anyhow. Today, you can't travel from Lagos to Badagry, a short distance of fewer than 100 kilometers. It has been under construction for several years. The Lagos-Ibadan Expressway has also not been completed for several years.
"The same applies to the Kano-Kaduna, Kano-Maiduguri, and Sokoto-Funtua. I can even show you the condition of all the roads from Kaduna to Abuja. In Kaduna bypass alone, you can wait for hours. You can't comfortably drive from Abuja to Okene to Auchi and Benin. It's almost impossible.
"These are roads that already exist and have been in urgent need of repairs for years. That's where we need to invest our resources and deal with it. We already have a network of roads that need fixing. Why are people introducing things when the existing ones are in bad shape?
"When I was governor of Anambra State, I started by completing the roads started by my predecessor before thinking of doing new ones. For me, this is the critical area that needs attention and where I will focus," he said.
