Former Labour Party 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi has responded to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s accusations that he is “demarketing” Nigeria overseas.

Sanwo-Olu had earlier criticised Obi for his remarks during a speech at Johns Hopkins University in the United States, where the former governor expressed concerns over the worsening state of the country.

Sanwo-Olu accused Obi of lacking the moral justification to make such statements, arguing that Obi’s criticisms only served to tarnish the country’s image abroad.

The Lagos governor also pointed to Obi’s tenure as Anambra State governor, claiming that Obi was partly responsible for the poverty in the state.

He said, “He made unflattering remarks not just about the incumbent Nigerian government but also about Nigeria. I also find Mr. Obi’s pattern of behaviour disturbing. When prominent Nigerians go overseas, they ought to project Nigeria positively.

“But after only two years in office, the poverty rate in Anambra jumped to 53.7 per cent. But the interesting thing is that five years after Peter Obi left office, his successor, Willie Obiano, reduced the poverty rate in Anambra from almost 60 per cent to 14.8 per cent.

“As such, I am not sure that Mr. Obi is morally well-placed to make the alarming claims he made about Nigeria at Johns Hopkins. Mr. Obi contributed to the increase in poverty in Nigeria.”

However, Obi, in his address at the memorial service for the late Edwin Clark on Wednesday, took a subtle jab at Sanwo-Olu.

Without naming Sanwo-Olu directly, Obi stated, “People say I am demarketing Nigeria. When is truth being demarketed? The World Bank has just shown that 75% of Nigerians in rural areas are poor. Is the World Bank demarketing Nigeria?”

Obi also cited UNICEF’s statistics, which say that Nigeria currently has the second-highest rate of malnourished children in the world, with over 2 million children suffering from the condition.

“Are they demarketing Nigeria?” Obi questioned again.

The former governor also noted that the sacrifices of past leaders have been “in vain,” adding that Nigeria has slid into lawlessness, poor governance, and the abandonment of democratic principles.

“I listened to my brother Mike when you talked about, ‘may the labour of our heroes past not be in vain.’ I’m happy that General Gowon is here, Jonathan is here. But I can tell you their sacrifice is in vain. They have sacrificed for nothing. We were in this country when people were protesting, when there was no need to protest under Goodluck Jonathan. Where are those protesters? Have they died? Where are they?” Obi said.

“We are not a democratic country. Let’s tell ourselves the truth,” he said, pointing to recent elections in Edo State, which he claimed were rigged.

“Everybody knows who won that election,” he added, without naming a candidate.