By Pamela Eboh
The presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Mr. Peter Obi, has given a nod to the call by Senator Bola Tinubu, for the 2023 presidential campaign to be issue based and not on personality.
Tinubu who is the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, made the call through his campaign organization, for the candidates and their supporters to base their electioneering on issues that would, in their words, “advance the growth, progress and stability of Nigeria”.
A statement signed by Obi’s Media Adviser, Mr. Valentine Obienyem, said the statement by APC advising candidates to “desist from spreading lies, malice and denigrating other candidates,” mirrored exactly what Obi had propagated over the years.
He said that if supporters were mindful of this, some articles, including offensive ones published in some newspapers against Obi would not have been published.
On the alleged fake Letter from the President of Ghana and the alleged request of fifty Billion Naira monthly payment, Obienyem said that Obi was not bothered about their authenticity, saying, “It was wickedness to link them to his supporters. Any publication from Obi’s group is always properly signed and the place it is coming from very clearly spelt out.
“It is a height of mischief, the attempt to link Obi’s campaign to IPOB.
“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 fellow 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.
Obienyem said that right from Obi’s position as the Governor, he was not known for the habit of attacking people or building lies against others.
According to him, Obi’s disposition was contrary to those of some of his opponents, who he said originated most of those fake news, published under fake names and turned round to ascribe them to Obi or his supporters