Peter Obi to Tinubu: Leave my family out of politics

The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, has accused his challenger in the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, of running the affairs of Lagos State as “a family enterprise”, warning the former governor to leave his family out of politics.

Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, said his family was not part of his political moves, noting that his family members were contributing to the development of the country without nearing public funds.

The LP presidential standard-bearer said this via a statement issued on Tuesday by his campaign media office, Obi-Datti, in reaction to a challenge by the spokesperson of the APC presidential campaign council, Festus Keyamo, that Obi’s son should organise a campaign rally in Anambra State like Tinubu’s son, Seyi, did in Lagos State last weekend.

It stated that Tinubu’s wife and some “parasitic First Ladies” took government’s airplane to a campaign rally “because they can hardly exist without government patronage”, adding that Obi “is the man seeking the mandate of the Nigerian people to serve them as President not any other member of his family.”

The statement read: “The attention of the Obi-Datti Media Campaign office has been drawn to a challenge thrown to the Labour Party Presidential Candidate, Mr. Peter Obi by one of the opponent’s attack dogs, the Minister of State for Labour, Festus Keyamo for his son to organise a successful campaign rally in his state Anambra akin to what APC flag bearer’s son Seyi Tinubu did for his Dad in Lagos.

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“But the attack dog forgot to differentiate the two sons, and their fathers. The only thing that joins Obi and Tinubu is that they were once governors of states in Nigeria. After that one became a parasite to the state government he served with his entire family while the other left government house and he and any members of his family never collected a dime from Anambra State. This assertion is verifiable for Keyamo and his other hirelings.

“Unlike Tinubu and his household who have grown to be stupendously wealthy with no identifiable industry or means of making money outside the state government for over two decades.

“If Keyamo had taken time to study the family he speaks for very well he would have avoided this comparison that is bound to expose the parasitic life of his principal and understand why the entire household is headlong in the campaign.

“The other time Tinubu’s wife, Senator Remi was threatening fire and brimstone over Lagos, then the daughter and now the son is showing off with rally. Do you blame a people struggling to keep a family business? The Tinubu family has cornered the commonwealth of Lagos state which they now run as a family enterprise.

“Obi’s family is not part of his politics, they are running their lives, contributing to development without nearing public funds.

“Obi-Datti Media office also noticed that Tinubu’s wife and some parasitic First Ladies took government airplane to campaign spots because they can hardly exist without government patronage.

“The LP candidate, Peter Obi is the man seeking the mandate of the Nigerian people to serve them as President not any other member of his family. He has said it repeatedly that Nigerians must reject anybody desiring to be President by proxy,” the Obi-Datti media office stated.

It added: “We therefore join our candidate to demand that candidates, not their wives, sons or daughters are seeking for the people’s votes and they should be scrutinised by the people.

“It’s dangerous and discomforting when we cannot differentiate public funds from family and private funds and a serving Minister of the Republic is defending and celebrating it.

“But that is exactly what Nigerian youths through the Obidient Movement are out to halt through their take back Nigeria mantra.”

The Star