It’s Smear Campaign To Describe Peter Obi’s Quest As Igbo Presidency Project – Senator Abaribe

Immediate-past Senate Minority Leader, who recently decamped from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, has said calling the ambition of the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, as ‘Igbo Presidency’ is a mischievous smear campaign to de-market him.

Obi is a former governor of Anambra State who was the Vice Presidential Candidate of the PDP in 2019.

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The Senator representing Abia South district in the Senate said it’s wrong to refer to Obi’s candidature in such a clannish and ethnic manner.

Abaribe, who is seeking re-election on the platform of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, spoke during a virtual town hall meeting by Ikengaonline, on Wednesday.

He wondered why Obi’s traducers are not also referring to Atiku’s ambition as ‘Fulani presidency’, or Tinubu’s as ‘Yoruba presidency’.

He argued that Obi should be seen as an individual pursuing his constitutionally-guaranteed rights without any links to his tribe and religion.

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The former deputy governor of Abia State said, “It’s unfortunate that Peter Obi’s emergence which is now a silver lining has come with complications. Tinubu has a presidential ticket, nobody is saying it’s a Yoruba ticket.

“Atiku has a ticket, nobody is saying it’s a Fulani ticket. But Peter Obi got a ticket and everybody is shouting:’It’s Igbo presidency. Some even try to link him with the Biafra agitation.”

Abaribe’s reaction is coming against recent publication from some Nigerians who have accused Obi of leading a mob desperate to drown out other voices in the political space.

An article which Obi supporters termed “toxic” appeared in a national daily with the title ‘Obi-tuary’, which accused Obi of bedding with separatist movement in the South East.

But Abaribe asked, “Have they tried to associate Tinubu with the Oduduwa self determination agitation? Or Atiku within the Fulani herdsmen menace or the banditary in the North?”

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