Obi: I’m not playing religious politics

Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, has debunked allegations that he is indulging in religious politics.

Obi made this known via a statement issued by his spokesman, Dr Yunusa Tanko, on Friday, April 19, 2024.

Tanko noted: “The Peter Obi Media Reach (POMR) wishes to alert the public of a fresh orchestrated design to blackmail the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, by linking him to frivolous, malicious, and unsubstantiated allegations of indulging in religious politics.

“We are aware that some persons operating under the guise of civil society, and non-governmental organizations, but acting at the behest of some powerful political interests, have been deployed to petition and accuse Obi of playing religious politics.

“The aim is to malign Mr Obi’s purely altruistic motives in supporting underprivileged Nigerians of all faiths. The ploy is to erroneously claim that he goes to religious places to carry out political campaigns off-season.

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“We should ordinarily ignore such mischievous ploys as they are only intended to distract attention from Mr Obi’s patriotic and compassionate position.

“For the avoidance of doubt and the protection of the gullible in their midst, it has become imperative to restate the truth and the facts.”

He stressed that Obi, a two-term former governor of Anambra State, understands the constitutional dictates of separation of church/mosque and state and that Nigeria is an undisputed secular state.

Tanko added: “Mr Obi’s primary concern in and out of public office has always been to pursue the welfare of the underprivileged in the society, whom he believes, should have a better life given the abundant human and natural resources bestowed on this country by God.

“What remains an undisputed fact is that Peter Obi’s charity work predates politics and he would never be intimidated to change this personal disposition, which he believes is an assignment for him from his creator.

“We, therefore, urge the public to ignore any insinuations of co-mingling politics with religion; and see them as a grand design to limit Mr Obi’s freedom of movement and citizenship welfare action.”

The Star