The loyalty of the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi has been questioned by the former southeast spokesperson for President Bola Tinubu during the election campaigns, Josef Onoh.
Onoh accused Obi of betraying his political godfather, and founder of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), the late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu whom he described as his brother-in-law.
The former aide to President Tinubu described the former Anambra State Governor as a fair-weather politician who is only after his selfish ambitions.
Onoh made the allegations in response to a press conference by Obi in which he asked President Tinubu to tell Nigerians the truth about his identity and academic records.
However, the former campaign spokesperson said Obi was only looking for relevance because his political limelight is dimming, adding that Tinubu needs no fresh introduction to Nigerians.
He accused the LP flagbearer of dumping APGA for selfish reasons after promising Ojukwu never to leave the party.
Onoh further accused Obi of attempting to undermine the office of the President.
“I recall as you recited the oath of office of Governor of Anambra state, you mentioned multiple times ‘Federal Republic of Nigeria’, ‘President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria’ and ‘Federal Government of Nigeria’, while he only directly mentioned ‘Anambra State’ once during his oath of office.”
“He added that the Governor’s oath of office as contained in the Seventh Schedule of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), as he Obi, quoted during his inauguration in March 2006, February 2007 and June 2007, is the same oath that says a Governor must exercise the authority vested in him so as not to impede or prejudice the authority lawfully vested in the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, so as not to endanger the continuance of the Federal Government in Nigeria.
It goes on to state that a Governor must devote himself to the service and well-being of the people of Nigeria. So having served as a Governor you are fully aware of the constitution of Nigeria as you took more oath of office more than any other governor in the history of Nigeria, hence it has given you a Bureau de Change political shift mentality. As governor you swore allegiance to the President and service of the people.
“Your Excellency sir, please permit me to re-introduce you to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed. A. Tinubu. Like you, he is versatile with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as he took same oath of office of Governor like you did but unlike you he did twice, he remained consistent and committed to his party the Alliance for Democracy AD which he in 1999 was Lagos State Gubernatorial candidate which he won on 9 January 1999 and defeated the PDP candidate with overwhelming Popular votes of 841,732 against PDP’s 184,900.
“In September 2006 he was instrumental to the merger that gave birth to ACN which dissolved in 2013 and formed Merger of Faction of Alliance for Democracy, Justice Party
Advance Congress of Democrats and finally Merged into the All Progressives Congress the previous and current ruling party.
“Today, May I due to selective amnesia re-introduce Asiwaju Bola Ahmed. A. Tinubu to you, constitutionally he doesn’t need introduction to Nigerians except you alone. President Bola Ahmed. A. Tinubu is the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, he’s our president, he’s your president, he has remained committed and consistent, he is committed to our party the APC, he respects and has remained loyal to Abdulkareem Adebisi Bamidele Akande one of the founding fathers of our party the APC and national chairman of the then AD that Mr. President rode on to become Lagos State Governor.
Unlike you that betrayed my brother-in-law, your political godfather and leader of APGA, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, (May his soul rest in peace). I recall how he told the good people of Anambra state to vote massively for you the then APGA candidate in the February 2010 election and then incumbent Governor of the state, because by doing so, they would be making him (Ojukwu) happy. He termed it ” My last wish”. And they honoured him by voting for you out of respect for him.”
“You, swore in the presence of some privileged individuals of which I’m fully informed by Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu during his last days on earth that you will never leave APGA the party that made you everything you are, but immediately he passed away you didn’t waste time to jump ship and abandon same party you swore with the Holy Rosary you won’t abandon.
“Permit me to quote the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson: ‘Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind.’ In the same vein, he said elsewhere, ‘No law can be sacred to me but that of my own nature.’ Unfortunately you have no integrity, your nature is never to be trusted, appearing more righteous than the pope while sowing the seeds of discord in a pius manner.
“Asiwaju Bola Ahmed. A. Tinubu is the 16th and current president of Nigeria, ghe needs no introduction while you’re the 16th defeated presidential candidate for the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The facts are there, Go and verify,” Onoh tackled Obi.
