- •‘Obidients freely threatening, harassing others’
- •Ex-Anambra governor lied, says APC
A former presidential aide, Reno Omokri, and the All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday faulted the death threat claim by ex-Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
The party said its spokesman did not threaten Obi.
But former Vice President Atiku Abubakar backed Obi, accusing the Tinubu Administration of “stifling” opposition voices.
Obi, via his X page, had asked if he had “crossed the line” with his New Year message as claimed by APC spokesman Felix Morka.
He wrote: “Have I really crossed the line? I ask the question because my New Year message has now led to threats against my life, my family, and those around me.
“While I have received all sorts of messages, one Mr. Felix Morka has gone further to accuse me of ‘crossing the line’ and has warned that I will face the consequences.”
He also accused the Tinubu Administration of “increasingly transforming into an authoritarian and repressive regime, where freedom of expression is being systematically suppressed”.
But, Omokri said Obi had allowed his supporters, known as Obidients, to threaten and harass those opposed to the former Anambra State governor’s presidential ambition.
Omokri slammed what he called Obi’s lack of accountability over the behaviour of his supporters.
He wrote: “I am rather surprised that you are now talking about death threats. So, you know it is wrong to act in such a manner?
“When your Obidients were threatening the life of my one-year-old daughter, what did you do? I brought it to your attention. You did nothing.
“Every single day, I receive over ten death threats from Obidients. Have you called them out? Obidients came to my house in England, tracked me to my jogging route and released my U.S. address. What did you, Peter Obi, do about that?
“Professor Wole Soyinka, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, Pastor Poju Oyemade, Sam Omatseye, and a host of others have been threatened, insulted, abused and maligned by the vicious mob you trained and unleashed on Nigeria.
“And after gathering a horde of uncouth, mannerless, and aggressive rudapests, you are now acting the victim? Claiming that Nigeria is becoming an ‘authoritarian and repressive regime’?
“Was it not your Obidients that threatened to burn down Fela’s Shrine because Femi Kuti did not support you?
“When your running mate, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, said that swearing in Bola Tinubu as President would mark the end of democracy in Nigeria, what did you do?
“If you are looking for authoritarianism, Peter, buy a mirror and look at it!”
APC denies threatening Obi
In a statement, the APC said Obi’s allegation that Morka threatened his life is “a self-evident malicious lie and an attention-seeking, playing-the-victim, emotional blackmail”.
“His claim is patently false and reprehensible,” the party said.
It added: “Morka did not threaten Mr Obi or his family or those around him or anyone.
“Morka has absolutely no reason to, and has never, threatened Obi or anyone. Nothing that Morka said in that interview or any other forum remotely contains or suggests a threat against Mr. Obi or anyone else.
“Morka will continue to hold Obi and other opposition actors accountable for their actions just as they seek to, and should, hold our great party and administration accountable when truth and public trust are compromised.
“By falsely claiming that Morka threatened his life, Mr. Obi has libelled Morka to the extreme and has incited his online mob to make death threats against Morka and members of his family. That is unacceptable.”
APC maintained that while everyone has a right to free speech, no one has a right to peddle misinformation or outright falsehood.
“The right to free speech granted by our country’s Constitution is not Mr. Obi’s exclusive right but a right that is available to all Nigerians, including Morka.
“Mr. Obi cannot disseminate misinformation and demand or expect that no one should disagree or challenge his false narrative.
“Ours is a democracy where every citizen, irrespective of political affiliation, is entitled to agree or disagree with other political views or opinions.
“More than any other Nigerian in this political dispensation, Mr. Obi has exercised his fundamental liberty to speak and disseminate his political views in person, in the formal and on social media.
“Obi leads a restless band of online mob who continue to attack, intimidate, bully and issue death threats to other citizens who dare disagree or criticize Obi or his opinions or position on any subject or matter of national conversation.
“Many eminent and highly respected elder statesmen have been serially attacked, humiliated and bullied by Obi’s online followers. Obi has never condemned their conduct or called them to order.
“Obi must think himself to be Nigeria’s sacred cow, the super citizen, quintessential, without blemish, beyond reproach, always right, never wrong, and endowed with the supreme and inalienable right to deride, castigate, intimidate blackmail and incite Nigerians against other political leaders who disagree with him, even those who defeated him decisively in the last general election.
“Mr. Obi is not entitled to any monolithic or exclusive constitutional or extraterrestrial liberty over and above any other citizen.”
APC called on Obi to immediately set the record straight, withdraw his false allegation against Morka, and call his online supporters to order.
“Morka stands ready to explore all available recourse mechanisms in valiant defence of his decency and impeccable reputation,” the party said.
APC’s threat to Obi disturbing, says Atiku
Former vice-president Atiku Abubakar urged Morka to clarify his comments.
In a statement, Atiku described Morka’s comments as inflammatory and a “disturbing emblem of the current administration’s unsettling strategy in addressing opposition figures”.
He said: “This threat against Obi, coupled with the prolonged detention of Mahdi Shehu, a prominent voice of dissent and others, signals a worrisome shift towards an authoritarian governance model, where the rights of opposition voices are being suffocated.
“The choice of words used by the APC’s spokesperson, particularly the ominous suggestion that Obi has ‘crossed the line’, reveals an alarming disdain for democratic principles.
“Such language, rooted in hostility, has no place in a free society where civil discourse and engagement should reign supreme.
“A true democracy thrives on the healthy exchange of ideas, where the criticisms and contributions of opposition leaders, like Peter Obi, are seen as vital for the betterment of governance and the promotion of public accountability.
“It is not merely the right, but the solemn duty of a democratic government to listen attentively to the voices of its critics, to engage in meaningful dialogue, and to allow space for the articulation of alternative viewpoints.
“Instead, we are faced with a chilling threat that suggests Obi must ‘be ready for whatever comes his way’. What, exactly, does Mr. Morka imply by this? It is imperative that the ruling party provides clarity on this disturbing insinuation.
“Equally troubling is the crude and disparaging manner in which the APC spokesperson has framed Peter Obi’s calls for constructive engagement, likening them to a lawless Wild West scenario.
“Such reckless and derogatory expressions cannot be tolerated, and it is incumbent upon the APC to issue a formal apology to Obi and the Nigerian people for such disgraceful language.
“The case of Mallam Shehu, languishing in detention without any clear explanation for his continued imprisonment, adds to the growing concern about the erosion of freedoms in Nigeria.
“If there is anyone who has truly ‘crossed the line’, it is the Tinubu administration, whose continuous vilification of opposition figures as mere irritants to be crushed is a dangerous precedent.”
According to Atiku, it is time to end the “stifling of voices that are crucial to the health of any functioning democracy”.
