El’Rufai, Obi in fresh verbal exchanges over bigot label

Following the recent allegation made by Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, the Governor of Kaduna State, that Mr. Peter Obi, the Vice Presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is a tribal bigot, the two are currently engaged in hot verbal exchanges.

El-Rufai in a tweet yesterday wrote: “Peter Obi is a tribal bigot. He was widely quoted on national television that the SSS was right to detain me for 48 hours in an hotel in 2014 on the grounds that ‘el-Rufai has no business being in Anambra State as it is not Katsina State!'”

Responding to the allegation, Obi expressed shock saying, “the statement came unprovoked, suggesting that it was what he sat down to think of rather than thinking about how to solve the many problems plaguing the country.”

Obi said this while responding to journalists who sought his reply to el Rufai’s tweet during Youth Programme at Nnewi yesterday.

In Obi’s words: “What His Excellency, Gov.  Nasir Ahmad el Rufai said about me has been brought to my attention. I believe that as we grow older and are saddled with more responsibilities, we are expected to become circumspect in our thinking and avoid recklessness in our speeches and utterances.  How does the circumstance he referred to relate to bigotry to warrant such a label?  All I do for people like el Rufai is to pray for them and encourage them to concentrate on doing those things that will better the lots of Nigerians rather than engage in hate speeches that will divide and destroy the country.”

Insisting that Nigeria does not need violence of speech to solve her numerous problems, Obi continues:  “At this difficult time in our country, when thousands of our brothers and sisters across ethnic divide are killed  all over the country, including innocent citizens in Kaduna State;  millions of our  children from all the parts of the country  are  out of school;  millions of Nigerian youths from all the parts of the country are without jobs, our  pre-occupation, especially among those that are in government should not be  making reckless speeches.  What our leaders should be doing today is seeking solution to numerous problems of our dear country,” he said.

Concerning the claim that he was arrested on the Election Day in Anambra, Obi said: “I am aware that during  the said election he referred to, security agents merely  restricted his movement  because he has no business being in Anambra as I would not have been in Kaduna  on an Election Day.”

Concluding, Obi cautioned “Nigerians, especially those in positions of authority, to avoid the dominance of the vice of hate over the virtues of love in whatever they do.”

Responding in the same vein, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has cautioned el-Rufai, over what the party described as his “unguarded comments.”

In a statement yesterday by the spokesman for the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party said Obi is well known for his nationalist disposition and cannot in anyway be associated with tribal bigotry.

The statement said, “Governor el-Rufai should not attempt to export the kind of inciting and inflammatory statements that have led to conflagration and bloodletting in his Kaduna State to our national political firmament.

“From el-Rufai’s comments, Nigerians now know those behind the series of smear campaigns and spurious allegations against our presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and his running mate, Peter Obi.”