Obi spoke during his press conference held on Monday, November 6, when asked why the lawmakers from his party have not rejected the SUVs.
Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, in the 2023 general election has reacted to plans by lawmakers to each acquire N160m worth of SUVs.
Recall that themembers of the National Assembly are to receive the cars any time from now even though Nigerians have condemned the plan, describing their actions as insensitive knowing that the country is currently experiencing economic hardship.
During his press conference held on Monday, November 6, Obi was asked why the lawmakers from his party have not rejected the SUVs.
Responding, the former Anambra state governor said he was told that vehicles are only for official purposes and ought to be returned when they leave office, adding that things would have been different had Labour Party won the presidential election.
“Let me start with the issue of Labour Party members in the House, I have actually discussed this issue with them. I heard that these vehicles are official cars which means they have to make use of them while in office. So it is not as if it is their vehicle. They are meant to use them while they’re in the Senate but you know how things work here. It’s not going to be like that. But what I tell people is that had Labour been in office [won the presidency] nobody would have contemplated such. It is not enough to do the wrong thing and start correcting it but it shouldn't even be. That is why people are saying the issue of Yacht have been withdrawn, it should not even be mentioned in the first place because it touches on the sensibilities of people to do that.” he said
Watch a video of him speaking below