The Lamidi Apapa faction of the Labour Party (LP) has warned the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to stop taunting President Bola Tinubu over his academic records.
The 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, had previously accused President Tinubu of submitting a forged Diploma certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before the election.
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday in Abuja, the LP flagbearer asked Tinubu to present his true identity, as the issue seems to portray all Nigerians as criminals.
He urged him to reintroduce himself with his true identity to save Nigerians from more embarrassment at the international scene.
Reacting to the development on Friday in a press briefing, the factional National Publicity Secretary of the party, Abayomi Arabambi, asked Obi to stop waging war against Tinubu over the certificate controversy.
Arabambi described the press conference addressed by Obi over the certificate saga as “needless and unwarranted” and counselled him to allow the Supreme Court of Nigeria to adjudicate and resolve the matter.
Arabambi also argued that since Obi and Atiku have submitted their appeals before the Supreme Court, it will be irritating for the LP candidate to resort to self-help.
He specifically disagreed with Obi’s claims that all Nigerians are being treated like common criminals all over the world over Tinubu’s certificate issue, saying that he had gone too far with the unsubstantiated claim.
He 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 the right 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.”
Arabambi said he was among the people who screened Obi as one of the party’s presidential hopefuls and that the name written on Peter Obi’s academic certificate from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), was different from the name written on his NYSC and WAEC Certificates.
He added: “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.
“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.
“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 displayed several documents submitted by Obi with different names charged the LP candidate to allow peace to reign by avoiding actions and statements capable of causing disaffection in the country.
He vehemently denied being sponsored by the Presidency to oppose Obi, asking him to comport himself within the ambit of the law in the prosecution of the petition against Tinubu.