ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- Labour Party Presidential candidate in the 25 February, 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, has cleared air on the allegation of paying television presenter with Arise TV, Mr. Rufai Oseni, to support him.
Obi was accused of bribing him by financially sponsoring the burial of his father, by a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Reno Omokri, the Special Assistant to former President Goodluck Jonathan. Omokri alleged that Obi funded the funeral of Rufai’s father’s burial.
He had shared this on his X account on 25 August, with a picture of Obi and Rufai together.
He posted, “AriseTV and Mr Rufai Oseni should kindly answer the following question. Did Mr Peter Obi, the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, fund the funeral of Mr Rufai Oseni’s father by giving him money in cash or via electronic means, either directly or through a third party, in August 2022, and has that influenced Mr. Oseni’s open bias in favour of Peter Obi, whereby Mr. Oseni used the AriseTV platform as a medium to campaign for and launder the image of Mr Peter Obi, and his undisguised personal animosity towards me for my refusal to support Mr Peter Obi’s Presidential ambition? I counsel them to think very carefully before they answer.”
Reacting to the allegation on the Twitter page, Obi said “it is a categorical lie. It is not true, cannot be true and will never be true.
“Everyone who understands or follows my approach to things will attest to the fact that I do not give anyone money to promote my name.”
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He continued, “I have never and will never monetarily induce any journalist to speak or write in my favour. When I am invited to birthday celebrations or funerals, people know that I do attend. Countless journalists, media personnel, the less privileged, the wealthy etc., have all invited me to their occasions, and they will attest to the fact that I honour such invitations, especially when people are grieving. I have never been to Rufai’s village. Even at the point of writing this, I do not know where he is from.
He wonders why people could decide to tarnish other people’s image for no justifiable reason, adding, “To those involved in such evil endeavours, I wish them well and pray that God will have mercy on them.”
The former Anambra State Governor maintains that his focus in Nigeria is on rescuing our dear Nation from the many challenges plaguing it.
“We should focus more on lifting people out of poverty. Millions of Nigerians do not know where their next meal will come from.
“We have millions of unemployed youths in their productive age with very little production going on in Nigeria to create jobs. Finding solutions to these challenges should command our attention, for the progress of our dear nation, Nigeria – and that is what I remain committed to. A New Inclusive and Sustainable Nigeria is POssible”, he said.
Obi explained that he do not get involved in name-calling and mud-slinging, neither does he attack people nor try to defame their personalities in the course of his political journey.
“I have also avoided replying to cheap, wicked or malicious blackmail publicly or privately in the same irresponsible manner that they are thrown at me. Anyone who has followed my corporate and political life knows that I always stay on issues, with my focus on finding solutions to societal challenges and ameliorating the suffering of the people.
Obi who frowned at the allegation, said the need for clarity became necessary as it involved a third party, saying that his name was recently mentioned in a malicious and cheap blackmail against the TV presenter.