Peter Obi not against North, never ‘expelled them’ as Anambra Gov – Media office

The Peter Obi Media Office, POMR, has claimed that certain politicians are intentionally spreading harmful lies suggesting that the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, presidential hopeful is against people from the North.

POMR stated that some politicians have wrongly portrayed Obi’s time as governor of Anambra State, claiming that he “expelled” Northern traders and beggars back to their home regions.

Ibrahim Umar, the spokesperson for POMR, said that there was no “expulsion” or ethnic cleansing that took place while Obi was the governor of Anambra State.

In a signed statement, Umar said unlike the negative stories being spread by those trying to create conflict in politics, Obi’s administration built a very strong, friendly relationship with the Northern and Muslim communities in Anambra State.

The statement said: “Peter Obi’s media office has observed the ongoing, unfounded, and completely harmful accusations that are trying to distort Mr. Obi’s record in governance. Peter Obi, who used to be the Governor of Anambra State, had notable interactions with people from Northern Nigeria while he was in office.

“It is unfortunate, but not surprising, that political rivals who cannot face Mr. are resorting to this. Obi’s outstanding track record of being responsible, managing finances well, and promoting development has once more fallen victim to old and damaging methods of dividing people by their ethnicity and region.

“To make it clear for well-informed Nigerians, we want to strongly say: The repeated false idea that Mr.” The claim that Obi “brought back” Northerners or specifically focused on Northern traders and beggars during his time as governor is completely untrue.

“During Obi’s time as a leader, there was a caring social welfare program aimed at helping poor people and unaccompanied children from different states who were in great need in Awka and Onitsha.

“There was never any kind of ‘expulsion’ or ethnic cleansing; rather, there was a well-organized social rehabilitation program that helped people from all over the country.

“Documents from his eight years in office show that even when the country faced serious ethnic and religious conflicts, Mr. Obi acted as a guardian for the Northern community, especially in areas such as the Onitsha Hausa Quarter (Ama Awusa).

“He put in a lot of effort to stop any revenge attacks in Anambra area, which gained him a lot of respect from local leaders in the North.”