Peter Obi, the Labour Party (LP)’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, has given the reason his party’s lawmakers did not reject the luxury sport utility vehicles (SUVs) purchased for members of the National Assembly.

There was an outrage some weeks ago after the National Assembly announced the purchase of luxury SUVs for the 469 lawmakers amid the economic hardship in the country.

During a press conference in Abuja on Monday, Obi explained that the SUVs were official vehicles needed for the lawmakers’ assignments.

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He was responding to a journalist who asked why LP lawmakers were beneficiaries of the SUVs despite being members of an opposition advocating for a responsible use of the country’s resources.

“I have actually discussed this issue with them,” said Obi. “Surprisingly, I can tell you. I heard that these vehicles are official cars, and they have to use it.

“It is meant for official vehicle [sic], so it’s not as if it is their vehicle, that is meant for official car and everything, because we campaigned for it, and said listen, if it is your car, you return it or do something.

“But they said it is official car and everybody is meant to… you’re meant to use it while you’re in the Senate, but you know how things work here; it’s not going to be like that.

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“So, what I tell people is that if we (Labour party) were in office, nobody would have contemplated such. And that’s where we want to go from because it is not enough to do the wrong thing and start correcting it. It shouldn’t even be.

“That’s why people are saying the issue of a yacht, have withdraw [sic]. It shouldn’t even be mentioned in the first place because it touches the sensibilities of people to do that.”

Obi lost to Bola Tinubu, the current president, in the presidential election held earlier this year, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).