*Dissociates principal from ‘irresponsible, insulting’ flyer on promised 5m votes in North
*Peter Obi must personally debunk report, apologise to Sultan, Muslim Ummah, others – Angry Muslims
By KEMI KASUMU
The Vice Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Dr. Doyin Okupe, has reacted to the flier spreading what has been described in a special report published by The DEFENDER as “irresponsible and insulting” banner telling lies that Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar promised to mobilize votes in Northern Nigeria for Peter Obi in 2023.
“I will mobilise 5 million votes in the North for Peter Obi, I have never believed in an Igbo man the way I believe in Peter Obi – Sultan,” the online flyer had read.
In debunking the report, Okupe pleaded with supporters of Peter Obi, who are mainly Igbo people, to stop creating and propagating falsehood with intent to selling their candidate on the social media.
He, however, did not send an apology to the Nigeria’s foremost traditional ruler for what members of his Presidential Campaign Group caused him and other personalities of Northern Nigeria they so insulted with their shameful falsehoods.
Okupe also debunked the viral reports that the 14th Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi ll, had endorsed Obi as the next Nigerian President.
The viral post quoted Sanusi as lambasting the presidential candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, respectively, while endorsing the Labour Party candidate.
Writing on his Twitter page on Tuesday, Okupe also debunked reports that a $20 million investment by Obi, while he was Anambra State Governor, is now worth $100 million.
“Our attention has been drawn to a statement credited to HE Gov Soludo concerning quadrupling of investment made by Peter Obi as Gov of Anambra. This statement is not from him or the campaign organisation. Peter Obi only talks about verifiable claims & what he’ll do when in office,” Okupe said.
“We also dissociate ourselves from the purported endorsements of his candidacy by HRH Lamido Sanusi and His Eminence, The Sultan of Sokoto.
“We plead wt all our supporters to pls desist from creating falsehood in the social media. Let’s focus on claims that are verifiable & true.”
Obi must apologise to Sultan
In the meantime, some meaningful voices both in North and South have said that what Okupe did solves no problem until Peter Obi himself come as far as his campaigners had gone in doing what they did on his behalf in the name of playing politics, and apologise to the Sultan of Sokoto.
In a message to this online newspaper, one of them said, “We demand an apology and retraction of the misleading and irresponsible post from Peter Obi and his irresponsible hirelings”.
In a special report published earlier by The DEFENDER and titled, “That social media campaign of promised 5m votes for Peter Obi, by Sultan of Sokoto, irresponsible, insulting”, the flyer, believed to have been a campaign strategy designed by Peter Obi Presidential Campaign Organisation, was considered strongly to be affront and disrespect to the revered Usmaniyyah Throne of the Sultan, entire good people of the Seat of Caliphate, the entire traditional institution as well as Muslim Ummah of Nigeria and, therefore, must be ignored by serious minded Nigerian citizens.
“While noting that this effort, attributing to His Eminence comments he can never be dreamed to make or are in no way ascribable to personality of his stature, is done with intent to sell a presidential candidate, it must clearly be stated here that only a head with low thinking faculty will believe such falsehood that can only turn round to backfire against the political principal the campaigners intended to sell, albeit through wrong means.
“His Eminence, as Chairman National Traditional Rulers Council of Nigeria, co-chaired by Ooni of Ife and covers entire country, as President-General foremost Islamic body Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI), of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) and Co-President, World Religions for Peace, headquartered in New York, United States of America, cannot possibly say things derogatory of the positions he occupies and, therefore, those involved in this type of shameful media activities have got to desist because, it can only compound situation why not solving any problem for them.
“On a clearer note, His Eminence Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar is neither partisan nor will he utter political statement because uttering such statements is business of politicians.
“The Sariki Musulumi, to the best of my knowledge of him – either directly or by his body language – remains the father figure that he naturally is and, why I am not to be seen as sounding immodest, is waxing stronger with his Peace, Unity and Development Project of Nigeria that hardly any Nigerian Muslim, Christian, even atheist, can dispute, just as he will continue to pray for Nigeria with fervent supplications that Allah will please not destroy the country due to the weight of our sins, forgive us and choose the best leader to continue from where President Muhammadu Buhari will stop on May 29, 2023”, the special report had said.
