Don’t be distracted by trivialities of ruling class- Obi urges Nigerians

By Jude Opara

The Media Office of the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi has reacted to the alleged criticism by those it described as paid agents of the political operatives of the recent interview granted a television station by their principal.

Spokesman of the Peter Obi Media Reach (POMR), Idris Zekeri in a statement on Wednesday urged Nigerians to focus on how to change the various ills debilitating the development of the country instead of buying into the antics of those trying to shift attention from the obvious failure of the present administration.

It read in part: “We are compelled to react to reactions to our principal’s recent television interview, having observed with growing concern the persistent attempts by paid political operatives, propaganda machinery and elements aligned with the ruling establishment to divert national attention away from the pressing socio-economic challenges confronting Nigeria today.

“After the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Presidential Candidate painstakingly outlined the structural defects in our governance, the crippling economic hardship, and concrete steps toward national revival, the public has once again witnessed the predictable reflex of the ruling class: a desperate scramble to weaponise minor slips, cherry-pick narratives, and elevate non-issues over critical national debate.

“While millions of Nigerian families continue to suffer under the weight of hyperinflation, food insecurity, skyrocketing energy costs, widespread unemployment, and unrelenting insecurity, the political elite and their mouthpieces are fixated on peddling trivialities.

“This is not an accident; it is a calculated political strategy designed to keep the public emotionally agitated and intellectually distracted from demanding real accountability.

“We wish to state unequivocally: Nigeria is in a crisis of governance, not a battle of sound bites: The debate that Nigeria desperately needs today is not about political drama or deliberate semantic distortions; it is about how to rescue a failing economy, restore the purchasing power of the naira, secure innocent lives, and transit our nation from a consumption-driven economy to a productive powerhouse.”

Zekeri added that Obi and his running mate, Dr. Rabiu Kwankwaso are focused and will not be dragged into unnecessary trivialities that so not add any value to the people.

He equally advised the media and indeed the Nigeria people to remain vigilant so as not to yield to propaganda which he said has become the past time of the present government.

According to him: “The Obi-Kwankwaso Movement and the millions of patriotic Nigerians who stand with us will not be dragged into the gutter of trivial controversies created by those who have failed the nation.

“ We refuse to allow those responsible for the country’s current plight to set the agenda for public discourse.

“We urge the press and the Nigerian public, particularly the youth whose futures are at stake, to remain vigilant and discerning.

“Do not yield to the diversionary tactics of propaganda. Whenever the handlers of this administration attempt to turn a national conversation into a circus of irrelevancies.

“Ask them the hard questions: Where is the plan to lower food inflation? How do we secure our farms and highways? What is being done to rescue millions falling below the poverty line?

The statement reassured that Obi remains unwavering in his commitment to a new Nigeria built on competence, character, transparency, and actionable solutions; adding that no amount of coordinated distraction or smear will deter him from speaking truth to power and standing firmly with the Nigerian people.