Mr. Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate, has responded Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, his All Progressive Congress (APC) counterpart over the call made by his campaign organization for Obi to caution his supporters.
Tinubu’s campaign organization had on Wednesday asked Obi to caution his supporters against spreading lies, malice and denigrating other candidates.
Obi, in a statement issued by his Media Adviser, Valentine Obienyem, said it is wrong to link his supporters to fake reports about Tinubu. He insisted that publications from the party are always properly signed and spelt out.
Obienyem, however, tackled the Tinubu campaign organisation over its attempt to attribute the fake Nana Akufo-Addo letter to Obi’s supporters.According to him, it was wicked of the Tinubu campaign organization to link Obi’s supporters or group to the letter without providing evidence.
He also noted that if Tinubu was interested in issues-based campaigns as canvassed by his team, his supporters would not have taken to newspapers to publish opinion articles aimed at tarnishing Obi’s image. Obienyem said if supporters were mindful of this, some articles published against Obi would not have been published, including those with offensive titles.
Apparently referring to an opinion article titled ‘Obi-tuary’, where the writer, Sam Omatseye, who is an associate of Tinubu deeply criticized Obi. Obienyem said such articles with “offensive titles” do not suggest that the APC presidential candidate has an interest in campaigning on issues.
He also also described Omatseye’s attempt to link Obi’s campaign to IPOB as the height of mischief. He added:
We know that things are not well in Nigeria. We know of the agitations in different parts of the country, our principal has always said what he would do with such organizations to stop their agitation and bring them back to Nigeria as one happy family. Rather than others say what they will do, they are here creating more problems by trying vainly and wickedly to link their fellow contestants to some of those organizations.
Obienyem expressed happiness that Nigerians are aware of the truth and the tricks used to deceive them would no longer work.