Mr Peter Obi, the former Governor of Anambra State has called out his successor, Willie Obiano, stating that the current Governor is unfit for the job hence his profligacy and clueless administration.
Obi who spoke during a stakeholders’ meeting of the People’s Democratic Party in Akwa Anambra State capital, has said that he was disappointed at the bad governance of Willie Obiano.
Obi, shortly after ensuring that he was succeeded through the APGA by Obiano, his old school mate and subordinate at Fidelity Bank, dumped the party to join the Peoples Democratic Party, for the purpose of working for the reelection of then President Goodluck Jonathan.
In a speech given by the Former Governor, Mr Peter Otite, he said, “I will fight in this election aggressively. I will fight with the last drop of my blood. I will fight to win this election the way the PDP has not won any election before.”
Peter Obi asked the stakeholders to mobilise for the victory of the PDP Candidate in the Poll, Mr Oseloka Obaze, describing him as “a first -class market”, and the best person to do the job.
The former governor pledged to reconcile all aggrieved PDP members in the August 28 primary election of the party.
“I’m the beneficiary of the PDP confusion when I was governor on the platform of APGA. Today, I’m 100 per cent in the PDP. That confusion must end. We must win the November 18 poll; nothing can stop us from doing that. It’s a fight I must win for the PDP.
“I’ll be in Anambra State all through from today (Wednesday), to accomplish this goal. In 2002/2003, I contested against an incumbent governor and defeated him; so there is nothing strange to me in defeating an incumbent governor.
“If all the money I kept for this (Obiano’s) government, both in dollar and naira were properly utilised and our legacies sustained, Anambra will be on top of other states in development by now.”
In his speech, the PDP standard-bearer, Obaze, thanked the stakeholders for their support and assured them of patronages in his government if voted to power.
But reacting on behalf of the incumbent governor, his media aide, Oliver Okpala, described Obi as a deceiver.
He called him callous and asked why he suddenly changed words after the former governor had told people of the state three years ago that Obiano possessed the best qualities and credentials to succeed him would come now to vilify his “best choice.”
Oliver said, “Obi cannot speak from both sides of his mouth. In 2013, he introduced Obiano to the people of the state and said he (Obiano) had the best managerial acumen and political sagacity to take over from him.
“Thus, he happily handed over to Obiano and Obiano had proved to the people of the state what Obi said about him by his performance that everybody is testifying to. So, what is Obi saying?
“There is no amount of lies Obi will tell about Obiano that will make the people to change their minds about the November 18 poll; they are all for Obiano,” Okpala stated.
Recall that the rift between the governor and his godfather Peter Obi was said to have gotten worse shortly after Obiano took up office as governor, and hit at Obi through a statement credited to his Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Solo Chukwulobelu.
The SSG claimed that Obi left only N9bn in the state’s coffers as against N75bn claimed by the ex-governor. The SSG, who apparently was speaking on behalf of the governor, added that the Obiano government inherited a total contract sum of N185.1bn as liability from the Obi era.
Obi’s people quickly denied the allegations with facts and figures, thus opening a floodgate of accusations and counter-accusations that have built up what is today, an intractable hostility.