The Presidency has reacted sharply after former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, was heard in resurfaced and recent video clips adopting a more conciliatory tone towards several senior political figures he had previously criticised.
In the videos circulating online, Obi distanced himself from personal attacks and described prominent politicians such as Atiku Abubakar, Nasir El-Rufai and others as his “elder brothers”, stressing respect and long-standing personal relationships.
“In any way, you’ve never seen me call anybody by name or anything. We respecteverybody who’s in APGA… as for calling people by name, we are not part of it,” Obi said in the clip.
He added, “People like Atiku are my leader, my respected older brother. David Mark is my brother. We are very close, and so is El-Rufai. Name them… I cannot say anything bad about them.”
Continuing, Obi listed several political figures across party lines, including Rotimi Amaechi, Rauf Aregbesola, Adams Oshiomhole, John Oyegun and Rabiu Kwankwaso, describing them as colleagues and elder brothers.
“These are all colleagues, so I cannot say anything bad about them. Those who follow me, I assure you, will not say anything bad,” he said. Obi also suggested that efforts were being made to provoke him into attacking others in order to damage his political image.
“They are trying to introduce them in order to see if they can hurt the PO brand.” he said, He added, “But I’m not going to say anything bad about them.”
Reacting to the development, the Presidency described Obi’s comments as evidence of political inconsistency and desperation.
Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga said the former Anambra State governor had contradicted himself and abandoned earlier positions for political convenience.
“Peter Obi has set a new record for political desperation. In his pursuit of the presidency, he has shown himself to be unprincipled, a politician willing to go back on his words, abandon his political platform if it is no longer a significant factor in his political calculus,” Onanuga said.
He added that Obi was now “willing to associate with anyone, including those he had previously pilloried”, accusing him of making U-turns even on matters of ideology.
‘No one can be sure where he stands,’ Presidency says
Onanuga further criticised Obi’s political reliability, arguing that his shifting positions undermine confidence in his leadership. “He certainly lacks the character of a reliable political leader. No one can be sure where he stands on any issue. He shifts with the wind and the trends on X,” he said.
The Presidency also claimed Obi’s remarks amounted to a betrayal of his supporters. “As this video clip shows, Obi has now thrown his supporters under the bus, further underscoring his series of contradictions and confusion,” Onanuga added.