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As political parties prepare assiduously for campaign programmes and manifestoes that will commence next month, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi has said the 2023 general elections will go beyond connections, tribe or religion.

Obi said this on his verified Twitter page on Tuesday while giving a summary of his speech at the Nigeria Bar Association Annual General Conference (NBA-AGC) held at Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos state.

At the colloquium on Monday, former Vice President and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar and former Borno state governor and vice-presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Kashim Shettima also delivered their speeches. 

Speaking about his delivered speech, Obi reiterated that the country needs “true, visionary and diligent leadership to transit from its present state of failure and stagnation to growth and development” and insisted that “we must strive for a leadership imbued with competence, capacity, credibility and commitment.”

The former Anambra state governor tweeted: “It was a distinct honour and privilege to address the Nigerian Bar Association at their Annual General Conference yesterday. The warm reception was gratifying and deeply appreciated.

“To recap what I said, Nigeria needs true, visionary and diligent leadership to transit from its present state of failure and stagnation to growth and development.

“Now that our nation is exhibiting the characteristics of a fragile and failed state, we must re-evaluate our leadership selection process to ensure that only diligent and committed leaders are voted into power, so that we can begin to rescue this nation urgently.

“We must strive for a leadership imbued with competence, capacity, credibility and commitment.

“I maintain that the elections in 2023 will go beyond connections, tribe or religion, but center on competence, character and commitment to deliver on the dividends of true democracy.”  By Biodun Busari, Vanguard News

DAR ES SALAAM, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- Tanzania on Tuesday began conducting its National Population and Housing Census with President Samia Suluhu Hassan being among the first persons to be counted at State House in Chamwino in the capital Dodoma.

A team of census officials led by the statistician general of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Albina Chuwa, and the commissioner of the National Population and Housing Census, Anne Makinda, visited the president at 6 a.m. for the counting.

"I have done with the counting. It is true there were many questions but they all can be answered in a short time," President Hassan told journalists after she was counted.

Addressing the nation on Monday night ahead of the National Population and Housing Census, President Hassan urged all Tanzanians to show up during the census to enable the country to have appropriate statistics which can help in planning for development.

"Better data will help our country to plan for better lives and accountability," she reiterated.

President Hassan said preliminary results of the census will be announced in October.

The last Population and Housing Census was conducted in Tanzania in 2012. - Xinhua