Reactions As Labour Party Faction Threatens To Suspend Peter Obi Over Academic Records, Discrepancies

Mixed reactions have trailed a publication on Tuesday by a faction of the Labour Party (LP) threatening to suspend its presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi. 

Naija News reports that the factional National Publicity Secretary of the party, Abayomi Arabambi, in a statement released today, gave Obi a 48-hour ultimatum to make all his academic records public and clarify all the discrepancies in his certificates or be suspended by the party.

Arabambi condemned the spokesman for the Peter Obi/Datti Ahmed presidential campaign council, Tanko Yinusa, for claiming that the allegation that Obi was impersonating his late elder brother was a farce.

He said, “The Labour Party at this juncture wishes to demand an answer to the following: what is the name of this so-called elder brother of Peter Obi who read computer science?

“What year did this Peter Obi’s elder brother die? What was the name on the secondary school certificate and University of Nigeria Nsukka certificate? What is the nature of the business of his brother? Where is Peter Obi’s birth certificate? What was the name on Peter Obi’s birth certificate?

“Why is it that the name on his birth certificate is different from the name on his school certificate? Why is the name on his school certificate different from the one written on his UNN certificate? Which university mobilized Peter Obi for his mandatory one-year NYSC? Why is the name on his NYSC certificate different from the name on his University of Nigeria Nsukka certificate?

“One would have expected Peter Obi to offer a satisfactory response to Nigerians as to the reasons for explicit discrepancies in his academic records to reveal his true identity and save our party from further avoidable national embarrassment.

“But rather than toe this line of challenge, his attack dog descended to the arena of political somersault, leaving facts to promote audio fiction thus confirming our position that Peter Obi is using the name and certificate of his dead elder brother.”

Arabambi stated that it must first be made clear to the public that there was no evidence provided by Obi against the allegations of forgery, impersonation and inconsistencies contained in his school certificate, the University of Nigeria Nsukka certificate and NYSC certificate.

He stated that the failure of Obi to clarify the discrepancies within the next 48 hours would attract his suspension from the party.

Naija News reports that the latest controversies are coming at the time the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidates, Atiku Abubakar, Obi and Labour Party, are all challenging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu‘s identity and Chicago State University academic records at the Supreme Court, after their respective defeat during the February 25th presidential poll.

Nigerians, however, have taken to social media, on X particularly, to react differently to the latest threat on Obi by a faction of the Labour Party.

See some of the mixed reactions below:

@Enwagboso – “We now know that submitting documents to INEC and slipping them online are no guarantees to the authenticity of documents.

“Every candidate should present verifiable documents. Let them explain satisfactorily where discrepancies exist. Tinubu is facing his in court, and so far, it is pointing to forgery.

“Atiku is digging up his in defense. He’s logically and legitimately aligning his documents to prove consistency and them being factual. Peter Obi should defend his as well. No questions about qualifications, discrepancies, and certificates should be buried under any guise.

“All the online defenders should allow the people involved to do so themselves.

@Mmiri_nari_ugwu – “Na Sowore by himself publish this one. Baba don mole one jumbo.

@jude_ukaigwe – “Sahara Propaganda will not specify that the so called Labour Party is the faction led by the APC sponsored Apapa.

@ajaGunSEgun_ “And as a matter of urgency, a law must be enacted to mandate INEC, EFCC, ICPC, etc. to always verify the authenticity of all the certificates of all political office holders, starting from the President down to the least.

“And any discrepancy found during the process should be published in the national daily, and the culprit (i.e., the politician, etc.) should be disqualified and sentenced to jail.

“Failure to do this will give others the courage to commit the same forgery etc, in the future.

@realTobiAkinbo – “He has addressed this issue a thousand times, and any time, any day, he’s ready to speak on it, unlike Bulaba.

@ExquisiteDemola – “We may later discover that Peter Obi is the actual certificate forger. Rumours have circulated that he is using his deceased brother’s identity, but Peter has not addressed this issue. This is also why he has chosen not to present his university certificate from UNN or the WAEC certificate he allegedly wrote. Peter should clarify this matter. I urge Peter Obi to reintroduce himself to his party members and the Nigerian public.

@Iselema – “Joke or what? It must be the Lagos version of LP.

@BabaX24 – “What are they trying to say? That his certificates are not real or what. They should focus on the real deal n stop all this bribery and corruption game.

@revolutionisyes – “Which Labour Party? Lamidi Apapa Labour Party Or? 🤣🤣. All these drama from the APC version of the Lamidi Apapa LP changes nothing. Tinubu is the one on trial here, not Atiku or Obi. Nevertheless, he can clarify if that makes them to rest. Certificate forgers looking for a way to drag others with authentic certificates.”

@jude_ukaigwe – “I believe it’s about time the LP leadership suspend the Apapa and Arabambi led faction of Labour Party. They seem to be doing the APC bidding with the help of corrupt media.”