The Peter Obi Media Office, POMR, has claimed that certain politicians are intentionally spreading harmful lies suggesting that the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, presidential hopeful is against people from the North.

POMR stated that some politicians have wrongly portrayed Obi’s time as governor of Anambra State, claiming that he “expelled” Northern traders and beggars back to their home regions.

Ibrahim Umar, the spokesperson for POMR, said that there was no “expulsion” or ethnic cleansing that took place while Obi was the governor of Anambra State.

In a signed statement, Umar said unlike the negative stories being spread by those trying to create conflict in politics, Obi’s administration built a very strong, friendly relationship with the Northern and Muslim communities in Anambra State.

The statement said: “Peter Obi’s media office has observed the ongoing, unfounded, and completely harmful accusations that are trying to distort Mr. Obi’s record in governance. Peter Obi, who used to be the Governor of Anambra State, had notable interactions with people from Northern Nigeria while he was in office.

“It is unfortunate, but not surprising, that political rivals who cannot face Mr. are resorting to this. Obi’s outstanding track record of being responsible, managing finances well, and promoting development has once more fallen victim to old and damaging methods of dividing people by their ethnicity and region.

“To make it clear for well-informed Nigerians, we want to strongly say: The repeated false idea that Mr.” The claim that Obi “brought back” Northerners or specifically focused on Northern traders and beggars during his time as governor is completely untrue.

“During Obi’s time as a leader, there was a caring social welfare program aimed at helping poor people and unaccompanied children from different states who were in great need in Awka and Onitsha.

“There was never any kind of ‘expulsion’ or ethnic cleansing; rather, there was a well-organized social rehabilitation program that helped people from all over the country.

“Documents from his eight years in office show that even when the country faced serious ethnic and religious conflicts, Mr. Obi acted as a guardian for the Northern community, especially in areas such as the Onitsha Hausa Quarter (Ama Awusa).

“He put in a lot of effort to stop any revenge attacks in Anambra area, which gained him a lot of respect from local leaders in the North.”

Former governorship aspirant, Hon. Chille Igbawua, has said that the presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress, NDC, made a mistake leaving the African Democratic Congress, ADC. 

He said the former Anambra State governor should have stayed in the ADC and learn some lessons even if he loses the primary election to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

Igbawua, who is a member of the ADC Electoral Panel and Adviser to ADC National Chairman, David Mark, stated this when he appeared on Channels Television on Tuesday evening, insisting that there was a level playing ground for all the contestants in the APC primary.

He said in Benue, for instance, Atiku got 55,000 votes, Amaechi scored 30,000, and Hayatu-deen polled 22,000, to show that the playing field was level.
He said, “We started this process of the coalition, and I was there at the beginning, from where we adopted ADC as the political platform. 

“Hayatu-deen was part of it from the beginning, but abandoned it later, and then came back later. And some of the issues that we’re hearing is that most people didn’t even know he came back and was in the contest.

“But let me give you an example of Benue, for instance, Atiku polled 55,000 votes, Amaechi polled 30,000, Hayatu-deen polled 22,000.

“This shows that it was a level playing field for all. By the time all the results are out, we will be able to analyze it further.

“But as it stands now, I think that is one of the examples of the playing field being level, and the fact that each of them has won in some places also shows that if they had that reach, and I think you were correct when you said Atiku Abubakar over the years has built a very massive political machinery, it’s a fact.

“But when some people said they would not want to go into contest with Atiku, because he will always win. I said no, he has lost primaries before, so it’s not right to say he will always or maybe he has always won, he has lost it sometimes.

“So I thought it was only proper to stay back and try your luck and see if you didn’t win, you will learn lessons from the loss, and you will know where you went wrong. How better to go against him or some other persons in the future.”

Asked if he thinks Peter Obi is thanking his heavens right now for not staying back to contest against Atiku Abubakar in the ADC primary, he said, “I don’t think he can thank his heavens. 

“Where he has gone all the best to him. But I don’t think that he, to me, he has his opinion. I don’t think he made the right choice, as far as I’m concerned. 

“When this process started, it was all about saving Nigeria. It was not about personal ambition. Some of us have also sacrificed at our level. I have been involved in the National Assembly, I have been Chief Executive of the Public Complaints Commission of Nigeria, I have contested governorship. This time I said let me allow the field for others behind me to also try.

“So we are making sacrifices, and we thought honestly that if what we’re saying in the beginning that we are out for the interest of Nigerians and not our personal interest, I expected that we should, each of us, be able to make sacrifices at our various levels.

“So when somebody, because of losing out a personal ambition, you know, begins to abandon ship, that’s why I say I don’t think it’s the right decision.”

Former chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Umar Ardo, has revealed that it was his idea to form the party for late President Muhammadu Buhari to contest in 2015.

Speaking during an interview on Arise Television on Tuesday, Ardo dismissed the claims of former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi that he made Buhari the president.

According to him, no single person can claim to have made somebody president.

DAILY POST recalls that Amaechi had claimed that he fought all the battles that gave Buhari victory in the 2015 presidential election.

Responding, Ardo said, “The idea of forming the APC for Buhari’s contest in 2015 was mine not Amaechi’s.

“No single person can claim to have made somebody president; it would need a large number of people and groups, but every idea starts with a single person, and the idea to form the APC was mine.

“Before the 2011 general elections, Buhari made a statement that he would not contest again if he lost and he actually lost.

“I personally went to him and asked him to contest again. I told him the reason he had not won elections is that he had never gone outside the North to campaign. You need one zone in the South to win election.

“You can get the Southwest only if you get current President Bola Tinubu as Vice Presidential candidate. In 2011, Tinubu wanted to be Vice President but they went and brought Pastor Tunde Bakare.

“With that, Tinubu went ahead and had some consultation with former Goodluck Jonathan and supported him.

“Even though Buhari had said he would not go to the tribunal, I asked him to go so as to keep his political flag flying.”