The presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi, has regretted that many Nigeria politicians who boast of experience only have experience in corruption and stealing of public funds, and not in good governance.

Obi who spoke while featuring on Arise Television programme on Monday, posited that it was better to have a leader without political experience but willing to clean up the mess and endemic wrath in the system.

The LP candidate recalled that he emerged the Governor of Anambra State about 15 years ago without prior experience in Government but was able to record tremendous achievements despite his lack of experience.

” When I became Governor of Anambra State, I never had any experience of working in Government but it did not stop me from doing well.

” Those who claim to have experience only have experience in corruption and stealing, and not the positive experience.

” They should cover their faces in shame. You can only claim to have experience if it is in success. They wanted to teach me their wrong experience but I refuse. That’s the structure they said I don’t have.

” It’s better to bring somebody without experience to clean up the mess.

” The job of a good leader is always listening for learning and doing the right thing.”

Obi proposed a retirement age for politicians, submitting that governance has a lot to do with physical energy.

He argued that if judges and other professionals retire at 70years, there was nothing wrong if old politicians exit to create space for the younger ones.

According to him many World leaders doing exploits are in their 30s and 40s.

He solicited strong support for the Lagos State governorship candidate of the party, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, in the March 18 governorship poll, describing him as a “fantastic.”

” The LP candidate in Lagos remains the best and a thorough Lagosian. I support him 100%. He is fantastic”.

On the claims by some critics the the LP candidate had no requisite experience needed to effectively run Lagos, Obi said lack of experience in government was not indication that one would not deliver.

Obi debunked the rumour making the rounds that he was part of those behind the Association for Better Nigeria, which supported the annulment of June 12 presidential poll presumably won by Moshood Abiola.

The LP candidate said he was then living in the UK with the family, and was not even really interested in politics.

Obi said that Labour Party national assembly- elects would not be part of the confusion in the system but be committed to the philosophy of a new Nigeria that brought them on board.

He insisted that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, manipulated the outcome of the February 25 presidential poll, and vowed to reclaim his mandate at the court.

He challenged Nigerians including religious leaders to condemn evil and stop accepting deceipt as God’s will.

Obi who said he went to court to challenge the process that produced the alleged winner of the presidential poll, explained that he would not have bothered going to court if INEC gad uploaded the poll results from polling units as required by the Electoral Act.

” What’s the difference between us and armed robbery if votes are stolen and we accept it as God’s will but we go after boys with laptops”.

The LP candidate vowed never to give up until INEC was compelled to tell the truth.

Vanguard