“I can’t condemn ESN because I’m not sure who is doing what. You can only condemn people when there is a process in which they have said this person has done something.”
The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi on Monday declared that he cannot condemn the Eastern Security Network (ESN) because he is unsure of their activities.
Speaking on Monday at ‘The Candidates’, a presidential town hall series, the symbol of the Obidient Movement said agitations in parts of the country is the consequence of leadership failure.
Meanwhile, at an interactive session organised by Arewa Joint Committee in Kaduna in October, Obi had claimed that ESN was formed by governors in the south-east to combat crime, a claim that was disproved by TheCable Fact checker.
The leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu on December 13, 2020 announced the formation of the ESN with the mandate to protect the south-east from terrorists and other criminal elements.
Obi said if given the mandate to rule the country in 2023, his administration will adopt dialogue to address the issue.
“The first of our seven-point agenda is to ensure the security of the lives and properties of Nigerians, and to show a united and one Nigeria by ensuring that there is equity, justice, and doing things following rule of law,” he said.
“Everywhere in the country is full of agitation. It is the effect of leadership failure. There is nothing wrong with agitation. You dialogue and discuss with everybody.
“I can’t condemn ESN because I’m not sure who is doing what. You can only condemn people when there is a process in which they have said this person has done something.”
