Peter Obi vs Poverty in North: Buhari's Aide Reveals Igbos Arewa Would Support as President
- Nigerian stakeholders of northern extraction have continued to react to the claim by Peter Obi that he would liberate the north from poverty once he reclaims his allegedly stolen mandate
- Obi, the candidate of the Labour Party who came third in the 2023 presidential election, had, in a statement, reiterated his commitment to taking back the country
- But Bashir Ahmed, a presidential aide to President Buhari, claims that Obi consistently makes the comment to demarket the north, while he mentioned some Igbos the north would likely vote for if they contest
Peter Obi's comment on liberating northern Nigeria out of poverty has continued to generate reactions online as the majority of Arewa people seem to consider it a deliberate slap on the region's people.
Obi, the candidate of the Labour Party who came third in the February 25 presidential election, in a series of tweets on Tuesday, April 18, said he was on a mission to reclaim his stolen mandate.
Source: Twitter
He further went on to say:
"I am committed to lifting people out of poverty, and I remain committed to transforming Nigeria, starting from the North to every part of the nation."
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Why the north may not vote for Peter Obi, Buhari's aide reveals
The comment by the former governor of Anambra state did not go down well with many northern stakeholders, as some of them accused him of deliberately tagging the north as the headquarters of poverty in Nigeria, even during his campaigns.
Reacting to the brouhaha on the micro-blogging platform, Bashir Ahmad, the special assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Digital Communication, said Obi looked away from the poverty in the state he governed for eight years and yet attacked the north for being poor.
In his post translated from Hausa, Ahmad wrote:
"Wow. At all times, this man doesn't miss an opportunity to insult Arewa. Despite the poverty in Anambra and his region, but whenever he wants to cite an example of abject poverty, it is Arewa that his mouth calls/mention. It's undeniable you hate us, it will never be harmful to reciprocate, Mr Bitrus."
See the tweet here:
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Charles Soludo, and other Igbo politicians that can get votes in the north
The president's aide subsequently revealed that some northern stakeholders' criticism against Obi should not be misinterpreted as against the Igbo.
He maintained that there are some politicians from the southeast that the north would vehemently vote for if they contested for President in Nigeria.
According to Ahmad, the North will vote for the likes of Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the current director general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and Charles Soludo, the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and current governor of Anambra state.
Latest about Peter Obi, President Muhammadu Buhari, Bashir Ahmad, Arewa, Southeast, 2023 Election
His tweet read:
"And we should know that it is not about Igbos, never. There are numerous Igbos if ever decided to run, I am sure they will get majority numbers from the North, H.E. Charles Soludo is one of them, and we dearly love Aunty Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala too."
See the tweet below:
"Obi wants to fix his wife as new national women leader": Labour Party alleges
Legit.ng earlier reported that a factional national chairman of the Labour Party, Bashir Apapa, has said Peter Obi, the party's presidential candidate, is not fit to govern Nigeria.
He alleged that Obi disobeyed an order of the Federal High Court in Abuja by attending an NEC meeting summoned by the chairman, who a court of law sacked.
According to Apapa, the objective of Obi is to destroy the party's structure, install tribal bigots in critical positions and make his wife the national women leader.
Source: Legit.ng
