By Kamsi Anayo, Awka
The Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi, has has agreed with the call by the Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Sen. Ahmed Bola Tinubu, that the campaign, for the 2023 Presidential election should focus on issues and not personality.
Obi was reacting to the call by Tinubu, through his campaign organization, for the candidates and their supporters to base their campaign on issues that would,“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,” exactly mirrored what Obi 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 50 Billion Naira 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 its source clearly spelt out.
Obienyem also described as the height of mischief, the attempt to link Obi’s campaign to 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 for others to 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 in
the past l would no longer work.
Concluding, 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.
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.