- Claims have appeared on the social networking site, Facebook, claiming that the Labour Party is not happy with Peter Obi
- The posters alleged that the Labour Party officially directed Obi to apologise to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu
- Legit.ng recalls that Obi contested against Tinubu in the February 2023 presidential election, but lost and emerged third
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 6-year-experience covering politics in Nigeria
FCT, Abuja – A post circulating on Facebook claimed that the Labour Party (LP) has ordered its presidential candidate in the February 2023 election, Peter Obi, to apologise to the eventual victor, Bola Tinubu.
The post claimed that Obi told “reckless lies” against President Tinubu.
Source: Facebook
Disregard false claims about LP and Obi
It also stated that Obi risks ‘facing extradition from the party’.
It reads:
“LP Orders Peter Obi To Apologize To President Tinubu Over Reckless Lies Or Face Extradictions From The Party..”
Similar posts can be found on Facebook here and here.
But is it true that the LP asked Obi to apologise under threat of expulsion? A fact-checking platform, Africa Check investigated.
Due to an internal crisis within the LP, there is a power struggle between two of its factions: the Julius Abure-led faction and the Lamidi Apapa-led faction. However, Abure is formally recognised by Obi as the opposition party’s national chairman.
Media in Nigeria reported that the Apapa faction had accused Obi of “destructive criticism” of Nigeria. This faction has consistently shown support for President Tinubu.
But the fact-checking platform said a search of the LP’s website and social media handles found no evidence of the statement.
There are also no reports of this from any credible media organisation, as would be expected given Obi’s stature.
Africa Check said it contacted the LP about the alleged directive but had not received a response as of the time of publishing its report.
Tinubu named Leadership Person of the Year 2023
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Leadership newspaper on Monday, December 11, announced winners of its 2023 annual awards.
The award is one of the most prestigious and sought-after prizes in the national calendar.
President Tinubu, the 16th and current Nigerian leader, scooped the Person of the Year 2023 prize.
Obi speaks on Tinubu’s foreign trip budget
Legit.ng also reported that Obi condemned the N15.961 billion reportedly budgeted for the aides of President Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima.
The Labour Party chieftain, in a tweet on Friday, December 8, said if the aides of the President and vice president are spending that much, one can envisage that Tinubu and Shettima would spend double the amount.
Obi laments as P&G exits Nigeria
In another related news, Legit.ng reported that Obi expressed concern over manufacturing companies closing their operations and exiting Nigeria.
In a series of tweets posted on his X page (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, December 7, Obi lamented the exit of top global Pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and makers of iconic brands, Procter & Gamble (P&G) from Nigeria.
Source: Legit.ng
