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An Igbo socio-political group, the Omalegwuoku Progressive Initiative/Igbo Kwenu for Asiwaju-Shettima, has asked Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential flag-bearer in this year's election, to stop insulting Nigerians by raising questions about President Bola Tinubu's identity.
The group's reaction follows Obi's comments during his press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, October 11, 2023.
The former Anambra State governor challenged the President to come out clean and re-introduce himself to Nigerians to end the speculations regarding his birth, education, and identity.
Obi also argued that Tinubu's Chicago State University (CSU) certificate saga has put further dents on Nigeria's image among the global community. He claimed that, as a result of the certificate brouhaha, Nigerians are now regarded as fraudsters and forgers.
Obi called on the President to save himself and the nation from further embarrassment by coming out clean on the allegations.
But, in its reaction, the Igbo group accused the Labour Party candidate of insulting Nigerians by asking the President to re-introduce himself to millions of people who already deemed him fit to lead the nation.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, the Global President of the group and a commissioner with the Federal Character Commission FCC, Ambassador Ginika F. Tor, argued that the only thing Tinubu owes Nigerians is to take them to their desired destinations.
“I had already put up my speech and suddenly I realized that my own brother who I respect so much, Peter Obi, who is also the Presidential Candidate of the Labour party, came up on television to say that our president, a man who is the Number One man in this country should come out and explain his state. So, by now, a man who served eight years as a governor, you don’t know his state? He should tell us his background educationally. Is that right?" She asked.
Tor said “It is an insult to Nigeria as a nation for you to call out our president who was massively supported, elected, confirmed and validated as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to come and stand before who?
"To say he is from this state, from this country, from this region, from this locality? Does he owe us that? What the President owes us now is to take us to our destination of choice."
While expressing her disappointment over Obi's utterances, Tor urged the Labour Party candidate to "calm down" and stop causing further distractions for the President.
“So, I am disappointed in a man who I respected so much, my brother, who stood in front to run for Igbos. It may not be his turn now, but it could come in future. But whatever he does now is going to play out in the future. So let us be cautious and let all Igbos not be misled by this press interview that our own brother granted.
“We are telling our brother, Obi, calm down, if God wanted you to be there, He would have made you the President. He did not. There is a lot of distraction on this President. Are you not bothered with the issues around the world?”, She queried.