The Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, Peter Obi, has faulted the alleged sponsorship of the wives of 21 local government chairmen in Adamawa State on a trip to Turkey, describing it as a “glaring case of waste.”

In a post on his verified 𝕏 handle on Friday, Obi said the development ridiculed the very essence of governance.

He wrote, “I have just read the disturbing report that the wives of 21 local government chairmen in Adamawa State were sponsored with public funds to travel to Turkey under the guise of leadership training.

“Today, while our children at the basic education level, whose education is the responsibility of local governments, are out of school, and those in school lack classrooms and teachers.”

The former Anambra governor reminded local government officials that their funds were meant for the benefit of ordinary Nigerians.

He further stated, “Local government funds belong to the people, to the market woman, the farmer, the teacher, the pensioner, and every ordinary Nigerian who depends on government for basic amenities.”

Obi stressed that anything short of prudent and people-centred spending was an outright abuse of office.

“Anything short of that is an abuse of office and should not be condoned. This is not only a glaring case of waste but a mockery of the very essence of governance,” he added.