Obi flays Nnamani over allegation of religious, ethnic politics
Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi (C) talks to the media at outside a polling station in Amatutu on February 25, 2023, before polls open during Nigeria’s presidential and general election. He is challenging Tinubu’s victory in court.(Photo by Patrick Meinhardt / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK MEINHARDT/AFP via Getty Images)
The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, has disagreed with the Senator representing Enugu East Senatorial zone, Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani, over allegation of playing ethnic and tribal politics.
Nnamani made the accusation after losing his seat to the Labour Party candidate, on Saturday. The Senator accused Obi of all sorts of things, including playing ethnic and religious politics. However, Obi in a letter to the former Enugu State governor, wondered if he knows whom he was talking about, as he is the direct opposite of all he accused him of.
The letter reads: “Throughout these election campaigns, you have consistently cast aspersions on my person, despite my always being respectful to you as an elder brother, and never publicly or privately commented negatively about you.
“I am surprised that you would go out of your way, in the exercise of your fundamental rights of freedom of speech and expression, as enshrined in our law, to say what you know is not true.
“I find it shocking that you had to label me an ethnic and religious bigot, and as one who indulges in campaign of hatred.
“In this instance, I like to state unequivocally that I am the direct opposite of what you said in your statement, and what my campaigns have been.
“I believe you must have mistaken me for someone else, because I have consistently championed issues-based campaigns, and was even using illustrations and data to buttress my position, to the extent that I have been accused of using data wrongly, and media houses had to create fact check desks just to monitor and address issues I raised during campaigns.
“I have been on record to have insisted, severally, throughout the country that I should not be voted for based on any ethnic or religious link, but to be considered based on Character, Capacity, Competence and Compassion.
“I have always respectfully requested that my track records and integrity be verified.
“I will also like to challenge anybody, including you, my elder brother, to show anywhere in my public appearance where I, in any way, portrayed ethnic or religious bigotry or where I called names, even when I came to campaign in Enugu.”
