I’m the opposite of what you try to represent
Labor Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has responded to allegations of ethno-religious bigotry leveled against him by former Enugu State Governor Chimaroke Nnamani, who launched into a rant after losing a senatorial election against a Labor Party candidate.
As well as accusing Obi of stoking ethnic and religious sentiments in his quest to win the 2023 presidency, Chimaroke also claimed that the Labor Party presidential candidate had exploited the country’s fault lines to advance his cause. personal.
Responding to Chimaroke’s request, Obi said he had to be confuse him with someone else. Obi, who advised Chimaroke to refrain from such “senseless and unsubstantiated allegations just to damage his image”, said he told Nigerians not to vote for him bon the basis of any ethnic or religious ties, but to be considered on the basis of character, character, ability and compassion.
“Throughout these election campaigns you have constantly slandered me, although I always respect you as an older brother and have never made negative comments about you in public or in private.
“I am truly surprised that you, as my dear older brother, are making the effort to exercise his fundamental rights to free speech and expression as enshrined in our law to say what he knows is not true.
“I find it very shocking that you had to call me an ethnic and religious bigot and a person who engages in a hate campaign. In this case, I like to say unequivocally that I am the opposite of what you have said in your statement and what my campaigns have been.
“I want to believe that my dear older brother must have mistaken me for someone else because, in this campaign, I have always stood for issue-oriented campaigns, and I have maintained it, even using illustrations and data to support my position, as I have been accused of misusing the data and the media had to set up fact-checking bureaus just to monitor and address issues I raised during countrisides.
“I have been recorded for insisting many times across the country that I should not be elected on the basis of ethnic or religious ties, but to be considered on the basis of character, character, ability and compassion.I have always respectfully requested that my background and integrity be checked.
“I would also like to challenge anyone, including my dear older brother, to show anywhere in my public appearance where I have in any way portrayed ethnic or religious bigotry or called out names, even when I came to campaign in Enugu State.
“I was also surprised that you attributed the statement ‘Lagos is no man’s land’ to Igbo because there is no evidence of what I consider to be a case of giving a dog a bad name just to hang him.
“Maybe my brother would like to know that I got more non-Igbo votes in Lagos, Abuja and other parts of Nigeria, and even if Igbo voted for me, should that be the reason for that they should be driven from where they are to live and make tangible contributions to development?Britain will not send Indians packing their bags because they voted for an Indian to become Prime Minister.
“I have also noticed the fiery efforts you have made to label me a tribal bigot, but that would be difficult to prove empirically and I would advise my dear older brother not to join in such senseless and unsubstantiated allegations just to tarnish his image.
“As I know very well that among the essential characteristics of any good leader is listening and learning, and my brother advised me to go back to school to learn some aspects of leadership that I miss.
“Why should I go to school to pay huge fees when I can get it for free from my dear older brother who knows him best? I respectfully request that I be invited by my older brother to teach me accordingly .
“My warmest regards to the family and God bless you.”
