The crisis rocking the Labour Party (LP) appears to be worsening, as the party’s factional National Publicity Secretary, Dr Abayomi Arabambi, warned the party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, to stop attacking President Bola Tinubu over his Chicago State University Diploma certificate.
On Friday, Arabambi, in what appeared to be a public defence of Tinubu, requested his party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to quit insulting Tinubu over the release of his academic records by Chicago State University (CSU).
The publication of Tinubu’s academic record sparked outrage among Nigerians, with many calling for the President to resign on the grounds that he submitted fraudulent diplomas to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) prior to the election.
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While reacting to the development, Peter Obi challenged Tinubu to reveal his true identity, as the problem appears to depict all Nigerians as criminals.
Obi’s position, however, has come under fire from various places, particularly the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Presidency, with the most recent coming from his party chieftains.
Arabambi called Obi’s press conference on the CSU saga “needless and unwarranted” at an international press conference in Abuja on Friday.
Rather than assaulting Tinubu, the LP factional spokesperson advised Obi to let the Supreme Court of Nigeria decide the case.
Arabambi stated that because Obi’s opponent, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has submitted to Supreme Court jurisdiction, Obi will find it difficult to turn to self-help in the face of the pending appeal before the Apex Court.
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He specifically disagreed with Obi’s comments that all Nigerians are being treated like common criminals around the world because of Tinubu’s certificate issue, saying he had gone too far with the baseless claim.
Arabambi said, “We have been watching with keen interest the various reactions and mudslingings on the unsubstantiated allegations of forgery in respect of the Chicago State University Diploma Certificate of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“While we agree that Peter Obi has rights to his opinion, he ought to be guided by the Constitution of Nigeria because he who comes to equity must come with clean hands.
“As a main opposition Party, the role played by LP former 2023 Presidential Candidate is highly condemnable because it is obvious he is trying to wage war against the President of Nigeria through intimidation to cause concussion.
“We believe rather than Mr Peter OBI engaging in this Media Tragedy, rascality and comedy, he should have allowed the Supreme Court to adjudicate on the veracity of the issues raised in the President’s certificate saga”.
He revealed that as the Labour Party’s National Publicity Secretary, he was among those who screened Obi as one of the party’s presidential candidates, and that the name on Peter Obi’s academic certificate from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) differed from the name on the former governor’s NYSC certificate and WAEC certificate.
In addition, he said “A second look and curious check on Peter Obi’s 1978 School Certificate results posted hurriedly” by Obi’s former aide Mr Oseloka Paul “shows the name Obi Gregory Onwubuasi and not Peter Onwubuasi Obi”.
He said, “I was part of the people who did the screening for him. In the form EC9, we gave him, he wrote that he attended the University of Nigeria Nsukka and he wrote that he finished his youth service but unfortunately, in the final submission of the form he only submitted his school certificate.
‘So something is fishy and I want to say the name the school sent for mobilization was not what was written on his NYSC certificate and he knows that.
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“This destination that he is going to, I don’t know what he wants to achieve. We have before the Supreme Court his petition and the pleadings are not there, you are now calling out someone to come and reveal his true identity.
“For us, we don’t know the true identity of Peter Obi even in the Labour Party because everything was shrouded in secrecy at that time between him and Abure in Asaba.
“We were rushing then because we had just a day to do our presidential primary and that was why he was able to get away with it, but we have it on record that Obi’s name on his NYSC certificate and the one on his University of Nigeria, Nsukka certificate are different”.
Arabambi, who presented many documents filed by Obi under various identities, charged the LP presidential candidate with allowing peace to reign by avoiding actions and remarks that could cause discontent in the country.
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He categorically denied being sponsored by the Presidency to challenge Obi, saying that all the Labour Party wants is for Obi to follow the law in prosecuting the suit against Tinubu.
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