Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has said he is in support of calls by his opponent Bola Tinubu to focus on issues, not personality when campaigns begin.
Mr Obi’s statement followed the call by Tinubu, through his campaign organisation, for the candidates and their supporters to base their electioneering on issues that would, in the words of the Tinubu Campaign Organisation, “advance the growth, progress and stability of Nigeria”.
The former Anambra State governor said in a statement on Wednesday by his spokesman Valentine Obienyem that the statement by APC advising candidates to “desist from spreading lies, malice and denigrating other candidates,” are things he had propagated over the years.
He said if supporters were mindful of this, some articles published in some newspapers against Obi would not have been published, including those with offensive titles.
On the alleged fake letter from the President of Ghana and the alleged request of N50billion monthly payment, Obienyem said that while Obi was not bothered about their authenticity, it was wickedness to link them to his supporters, insisting that any publication from Obi’s group was always properly signed and the place it was coming from very clearly spelt out.
Obienyem also described as the height of mischief, the attempt to link his campaign to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
In his words: “We know that things are not well in Nigeria. We know of the agitations in different parts of the country, our principal has always said what he would do with such organizations to stop their agitation and bring then back to Nigeria as one happy family. Rather than others say what they will do, they are here creating more problems by trying vainly and wickedly to link their follow contestants to some of those organisations.”
He expressed happiness that Nigerians knew the truth and that such gimmicks used to deceive them would no longer work.
Concluding, Obienyem said that right from Obi’s position as governor, he was not known for the habit of attacking people or building lies against others. Obienyem said Obi’s disposition was contrary to those of some of his opponents, whom, he said, actually originated most of those fake news, published them under false names and turned round to ascribe them to Obi or his supporters.
