• Presidential aide rallies South-East for Tinubu, Shettima

The Peter Obi Media Office (POMR) has faulted Vice-President Kashim Shettima over his description of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) opposition figure, Peter Obi, as “diminished,” accusing him of showing selective respect for opposition leaders.
 
In a statement issued yesterday and signed by its spokesman, Idris Zekeri Jnr, the media office said Shettima’s remark was inconsistent with the standards of political decency expected of a public office holder.
 
POMR was reacting to comments attributed to the Vice-President in which he reportedly urged Northerners to respect former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar while describing Obi as diminished.
 
The office questioned why Shettima would call for respect for one opposition leader while dismissing another, arguing that political disagreements should not become a justification for personal attacks.
 
It said Obi, the presidential candidate of the NDC, had maintained an issue-based approach to political engagement and avoided abusive language against his opponents.
 
The statement also challenged Shettima to compare records of governance rather than resort to name-calling, noting that both men served as governors during the same period.
 
According to POMR, Obi’s administration in Anambra State recorded achievements in fiscal management, education and healthcare, which it said earned him recognition and awards.

Meanwhile, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications in the Office of the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, has called on the South-East to support President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima in the 2027 general elections, urging the region to embrace strategic political alliances to strengthen its influence in national affairs.
 
Nkwocha made the appeal on Saturday at a sensitisation meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Imerienwe Ward 5, Ngor Okpala Local Council Area of Imo State, where community leaders and political stakeholders pledged to consolidate their political structures under the ruling party.
 
He argued that the South-East needed to reassess its political calculations in the light of its electoral strength, prevailing national realities and opportunities for development through constructive engagement with the Federal Government.
 
According to him, the Tinubu administration has demonstrated its commitment to the region through infrastructure projects, institutional reforms and economic investments, despite the South-East’s voting pattern in the 2023 presidential election.
 
Nkwocha cited the establishment of the South-East Development Commission, the reconstruction of major federal highways and investments in transport infrastructure as evidence of the administration’s commitment to inclusive national development.
 
He maintained that the region’s comparatively smaller registered voter population made strategic partnerships with other geopolitical zones important to its quest for greater political influence and national leadership.
 
The presidential aide also questioned the political calculations of former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, particularly his alleged political arrangement involving former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
 
He raised concerns about the implications of any proposed one-term presidential arrangement for the South-East’s long-term political aspirations, questioning whether such an agreement would serve the region’s collective interests.