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BENIN CITY, NIGERIA — The Edo State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Kassim Afegbua, has launched a blistering verbal assault on the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, accusing the former Anambra State governor of managing a deceptive public persona that collapses under factual scrutiny.
Speaking during an appearance on the SYMFONI podcast, Afegbua insisted that Obi’s long standing in Nigerian public life makes his administrative track record open to verification, cautioning the politician against promoting narratives easily disproved by official archives and digital records.
“If you want to know the history that defines your parentage, join politics. They will tell you your story from when you were born,” Afegbua remarked, underscoring that public office demands total transparency.
Debt Claims and Pension Liabilities
Challenging Obi’s repeated assertions regarding his fiscal management while serving as Governor of Anambra State, the Information Commissioner alleged that claims of operating without foreign loans do not match official records.
“It was presented by Peter Obi himself that he didn’t take foreign loan,” Afegbua stated. “But the evidence with the Debt Management Office with respect to Anambra State—go there, Google it and check. You will see it there. He took. He should not deny all of that”.
Afegbua further raised concerns over labor issues during Obi’s tenure, pointing out unresolved gratuities and pension liabilities affecting retired civil servants in the state. He claimed there are “people who are over 700 that were not paid their gratuities and pensions under him”.
Healthcare Strikes and Frugality Image
Diving deeper into administrative performance, the Edo official argued that Obi’s governance record suffered major disruptions that are often omitted from his public address speeches.
“If you Google Peter Obi’s administration, they say the internet never forgets,” Afegbua observed. “You will see places where doctors went on strike for 13 months”.
He also took aim at Obi’s widely publicized brand of personal frugality, dismissing his claims of minimalist living as political posturing.
“He said he has one shoe and wrist watch, and he displayed that this is the shoe,” Afegbua said. “But there has been evidence of several resource wristwatches on his hand”.
The “Five Types of Lies” Charge
Summarizing his assessment, Afegbua claimed the former governor cultivated a public image designed for political appeal rather than authentic representation.
“Peter Obi perhaps didn’t know that a time would come when he wants to seek the presidency of Nigeria. So he has been living a false life, trying to portray to the public what he’s not,” Afegbua said.
Categorizing Obi’s public communications, Afegbua concluded: “You know there are five types of lies, and Peter Obi falls into all the five”. He identified denial, omission, and exaggeration among the categories, detailing how he believes the politician’s past public statements fit into those definitions.
