Allegations that I snubbed Sultan of Sokoto, demolished mosques, sent Hausa out of Anambra untrue — Peter Obi

*Group insists Atiku risk electoral loss with Obi, Fani-Kayode, Nnamdi Kanu

Former Governor of Anambra State and Vice-Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Mr. Peter Obi, six years after, has just denied that he never snubbed the symbol of the Nigerian Muslim Community, and world’s number 17 most influential Muslim leader, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar.

Obi, who never spoke on this allegation until Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Presidential Candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), recently picked him as his running mate against the choice of Atiku’s PDP North and Obi’s PDP South East, also denied that he ever demolished Muslim mosques, snubbed Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, a retired General, nor drove the Hausa people out of his state when he was in power as governor of Anambra State.

He described as sheer fabrication, wicked and inhuman, the allegations which also included that he shunned the then Minister of Finance, Dr. Shamsuddeen Usman’s attempt at mediation.

Responding to journalists’ questions at Southern Sun, Lagos, on Thursday, Obi regretted that rather than some political elites focusing on resolving the plight of several millions of Nigerians without livelihood, over 10 million of out-of-school children and many more of unemployed youths, they are busy engaging in emitting hate speeches and spreading concocted   falsehoods in their desperation to be elected into public offices so that they will continue with impoverishing the nation and the generality of the people.

He said: “As a matter of fact, the mosque at Onitsha was destroyed before I became governor.”

Describing the allegation that he snubbed the Sultan of Sokoto, who was in the State as ridiculous, Obi asserted that irresponsibility and disrespect for elders and leaders were not in his character.

According to him, “The irony of this concoction is that I have been a friend of His Eminence, the Sultan right from my first year at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, in 1980 through his tenure as Nigeria’s Defence Attaché in Pakistan till the present.

“The fact is that the visit of his Eminence, during which I was alleged to have snubbed him was purely a courtesy call after which I personally accompanied him to see the Obi of Onitsha, Obi Alfred Achebe with whom he had a meeting. I also requested His Eminence to visit the Hausa community in the state during which I offered to rebuild and subsequently gave them the funds for that purpose.”

Group source insists Atiku risk electoral loss with Obi, Fani-Kayode, Nnamdi Kanu

Just as Obi made the rebuttal, a source believed to be connected with the Arewa Youth group that earlier warned Atiku to drop Peter Obi, Femi Fani-Kayode and Nnamdi Kanu from his politics or lose their votes, insisted in an exclusive response with The DEFENDER that his group will be unchanging on its earlier position during the meeting former President Olusegun Obasanjo in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital.

It will also be recalled that Arewal Youth Integrity Forum (AYIF) had asked Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to distance himself from Femi Fani-Kayode, former minister of aviation, for being in the habit of causing disaffections among people of the country, if he must get their support.

Mr. Adamu Adamu, who is National President of AYIF, said this in reaction to the claim of Fani-Kayode that  Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has agreed to work against the reelection of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Adamu said Abubakar would lose the support of northern youth if he fails to distance himself from politicians heating up the polity.

“AYIF has followed with concerns the reappearance of the wanted leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu and the invitation to anarchy by one of those standing trial for corruption, Femi Fani-Kayode (FFK), who disclosed that Kanu has agreed to work for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the forthcoming elections,” he said in a statement.

“We find it odd that Fani-Kayode, who had alleged a military abduction and assassination of Nnamdi Kanu did not deem it proper to apologise to Nigerians for his lies but simply pretended as if he never made such outlandish claims and switched to talking political alliance.

“His comments placed the lives of some persons at risk and pushed the entire country to the edge of a meltdown. His lack of remorse shows that it is something he will attempt again in no distant time.

“Prior to jumping bail, Kanu, with his followers, had consistently referred to Nigeria as a zoo and the citizens as animals that do not deserve to live. His inflammatory provocations got to a point where Nigerians were angered to a point of issuing quit notices against each other along ethnic lines even as Kanu’s IPOB continued to call for the disintegration of the country.

“It, therefore, borders on insanity for the same Kanu to reappear today and be declaring to be part of the nation’s political process without first renouncing his separatist stance and demand for violence against Hausa/Fulani.

“We recognize that Fani-Kayode and Kanu are running their personal battles against substance abuse but our empathy cannot extend to the willful choice to demonide other ethnic groups and call for violence against them. The alliance they are talking about is nothing but trying to create a publicly acceptable platform for their hate mongering. They have nothing good to offer Nigerians.

“Ordinarily, the alliance between the duo do not bother us in the least since the leading candidates in the race for presidency are from the north; but we find it repulsive that men who have not properly proven themselves as being free of mental illness are jostling to take leading role in how Nigerians decide.

“One of them is standing trial for treason and the other is on trial for capital corruption so they have the incentives to deliberately cause provocations that will destroy the country and ensure that Nigeria no longer exists as a country to conclude their trial.

“We, therefore, warn the PDP presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar that he risks losing the support of Arewa if he associates his campaign with Femi Fani-Kayode and Nnamdi Kanu, who have both repeatedly declared their disdain and hatred for Nigerians from the northern parts of the country.

“We find it abominable that Fani-Kayode who sees Arewa as a plague and Kanu who sees us as animals can today be attempting to hitch a ride on Atiku Abubakar’s PDP ticket when they still hold steadfastly to their genocidal views against Hausa/Fulani. If they successfully hitch the ride they seek then we will rather mobilize for the person the PDP is seeking to unseat.

“Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and the PDP must immediately formally distance themselves from FFK and Kanu failing which AYIF will be compelled to mobilize other Arewa youth groups to express their displeasure with the PDP.”