The ruling All Progressives Congress and supporters of the Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, engaged themselves in a war of words on Monday over an alleged threat to the life of the former Anambra State governor.
The hostility was a fallout of Sunday’s interview on Arise Television, where the National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Felix Morka, claimed that the former Anambra governor had “crossed the line” in his recent criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
An emotional Morka claimed that Obi was desperately seeking to incite Nigerians into bringing down the current government.
The APC spokesman subsequently ended his argument with a subtle threat of “he has coming to him whatever he gets.”
He said, “Mr Obi is shooting from the hip. He is not looking or taking an aim. He just shoots widely like the Wild Wild West movies we used to see back in the day. He is absolutely irrational in his thinking about a man who was governor for eight years and left nothing to remember in Anambra State by way of legacy.
“Now that he didn’t win, he is sulking. Rather than get a perspective or figure out why he lost so he can do better in the future, he thinks he can bring down the government by simply being maliciously deceptive. That is wrong.
“I am not somebody to go on the offensive in that manner, but Mr Peter Obi has crossed the line so many times, and I think that at this point, he has come to him whatever he gets.”
Reacting in an exclusive interview with The PUNCH, the National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement, Yunusa Tanko, warned the APC against intimidating Obi, his family members or close associates, insisting that such a threat should not be allowed to go unaddressed.
The former spokesman of the Obi presidential campaign council also warned against any attempt to arrest his principal, adding that Nigerians would call for the head of the ruling party.
He said, “That is a threat. If they make the move (to arrest Obi), it will boomerang on their government. In a democratic setting, Obi did not in any way impugn anybody’s integrity, nor did he cross any line. We are not making any false allegations.
“But if they threaten anybody with some level of impunity, believe me, the Nigerian people will react negatively to them. They must learn to accept it. If they have a counter-allegation to the issues we are raising, they should be provided with facts.
“Obi only spoke to the issue that concerns every Nigerian, which he has a right to. So, what this simply means is that what we have been accusing them of, gagging, arresting and then maiming people to the level of intimidation and impunity, is what they are planning to administer on Nigerians starting from this January just because people have spoken against bad governance.”
Speaking further, the Labour Party chieftain called on security agents not to allow the APC spokesman’s threat to slide without proper investigation.
According to him, the Obidient Movement will not be cowed into silence by the ruling APC government.
He said, “We stand firmly with Peter Obi and his vision for a just, equitable and prosperous Nigeria. We call on Nigerians to resist this slide into authoritarianism by continuing to demand accountability, justice and the protection of democratic values. Finally, we urge the security services to not sweep such threats under the carpet as they had done in previous times but engage Mr Morka to elucidate on his utterance.
“Furthermore, the ruling party called to order their mouthpiece and members at large to desist from actions that could heat up the polity. In addition, the government of the day should foster an environment of noble ideas to shape our national discourse and not threats. They must be seen to be tolerant of criticism.
“The level of impunity and attack they put on the previous government of the PDP was worse than this and they are getting less of that criticism in their own government. So, criticising them is a way of uplifting the standards of our democracy. We Nigerians have the right as covered under the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, to speak to issues.”
Similarly, Obi also reacted to the threat made by the APC spokesman, saying he would not be silenced for speaking truth to power.
Reacting via his official X handle, Obi wondered how a harmless New Year message he gave could elicit a threat from the APC spokesman.
“Have I really crossed the line? I ask the question because my New Year message has now led to threats against my life, my family, and those around me. While I have received all sorts of messages, one Mr Felix Morka has gone further to accuse me of “crossing the line” and has warned that I will face the consequences.
“I find it necessary to share this message again and urge everyone who has not seen it to watch. If I have truly crossed the line, I invite anyone to point it out, as I remain committed to upholding decorum. However, I will not be silenced in my resolve to speak truthfully, especially as our nation continues to drift toward undemocratic practices.
“We are increasingly transforming into an authoritarian and repressive regime, where freedom of expression is being systematically suppressed. May God help us create a better and freer society for the sake of our children,” he stated.
However, the National Publicity Director of the APC, Bala Ibrahim, expressed disappointment over the manner Obi’s supporters and loyalists went about the issue.
While asserting that Morka neither threatened nor insulted anyone in the said interview, Ibrahim urged the former governor to call his supporters to order.
“They are taking politics to a different level. By now, having come this far, we should be playing politics without bitterness. We shouldn’t be playing the kind of politics that will reduce us from human beings to lower animals. There is nothing threatening, insulting or harmful in what my boss, Mr Felix Morka, said in response to Peter Obi’s remark.
“There is nothing, depending on how you look at it. If you look at the content upside down or sideways, either way, you look at it, there is nothing to warrant the kind of social media bombardment and threats sent in the direction of the national publicity secretary. The Obidients have to revisit their conscience and understand the main intention of opposition in politics.
“It’s not supposed to be a show of insult and threats. No, we should be playing politics of maturity. I expect someone like Peter Obi, who was a governor for two terms and who has been on the political scene for a long time, to caution his supporters against using threats and language that are capable of derailing the meaning of democracy.”
When contacted, the Force spokesman, Muyiwa Adejobi, denied knowledge of the incident.
Aadejobi said he wasn’t aware and thus couldn’t tell if there was a threat to Obi and Morka’s life or not.
“I’m not aware of what you are saying. Has he informed us?” Adejobi queried.
