The media office of Labour Party presidential aspirant, Peter Obi, has dismissed allegations that he deported or maltreated northerners during his tenure as governor of Anambra State, describing the claims as false, malicious, and politically motivated.
In a statement issued on Sunday by the spokesman of the Peter Obi Media Office, Ibrahim Umar, the organisation said the recurring allegations were deliberate attempts to distort Obi’s governance record and incite ethnic division ahead of future political contests.
According to the statement, critics of the former Anambra governor were resorting to propaganda because they could not challenge his “record of accountability, fiscal responsibility, and developmental progress.”
The media office argued that Obi’s consistent advocacy for the economic transformation of Northern Nigeria had unsettled his opponents. It noted that Obi had repeatedly promoted the North as the future hub of Nigeria’s agricultural and food production economy due to its vast fertile land and untapped potential.
The statement clarified that the policy often misrepresented as a “deportation” exercise was, in reality, a social welfare and rehabilitation programme designed to assist vulnerable individuals, including destitute persons and unaccompanied minors from different parts of the country who were living in difficult conditions in cities such as Awka and Onitsha.
“There was never any form of expulsion or ethnic cleansing,” the statement said, insisting that the initiative was humanitarian in nature and benefitted Nigerians irrespective of ethnic background.
Defending Obi’s relationship with northern residents in Anambra, the media office said his administration maintained cordial ties with northern and Muslim communities throughout his eight years in office.
It further claimed that Obi played a protective role during periods of national ethno-religious tension by preventing retaliatory attacks against northerners living in Anambra, particularly in the Onitsha Hausa community, popularly known as Ama Awusa.
The statement also highlighted that the Obi administration sponsored Muslim faithful for pilgrimage to Mecca and ensured equal government support for Muslims and Christians in the state.
According to the media office, northern traders and livestock dealers operating in markets such as Amansea enjoyed a secure business environment under Obi’s government without harassment or intimidation.
The organisation maintained that members of the Hausa-Fulani community in Awka and Onitsha could testify to Obi’s relationship with northerners during his administration.
While condemning the repeated allegations, the media office warned against the spread of misinformation, saying falsehoods repeated over time should not be allowed to overshadow verifiable facts.