By Christiana Ekpa
The crisis rocking the Labour Party (LP) appears not to have abated as a factional National Publicity Secretary of the party, Dr Abayomi Arabambi, warned the presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi to desist from attacking President Bola Tinubu over his Chicago State University Diploma certificate.
In what looked like a public defense of Tinubu yesterday Arabambi asked his party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi to stop taunting Tinubu over the release of his academic records by the Chicago State University ( CSU).
The release of Tinubu’s academic record, had generated controversy among Nigerians, with many asking the President to resign on the grounds that he submitted forged certificates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before the election.
Peter Obi, while reacting to the development had asked Tinubu to present his true identity, as the issue seems to portray all Nigerians as criminals.
Obi’s position has, however, received attacks from some quarters especially from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Presidency, with the latest coming from his party chieftains.
Addressing a world press conference in Abuja on Friday, Arabambi described Obi’s press conference over the CSU’s saga as “needless and unwarranted”.
Rather than attacking Tinubu, the LP factional spokesperson counselled Obi to allow the Supreme Court of Nigeria to adjudicate and resolve the matter.
Arabambi argued that since Obi, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has submitted to Supreme Court jurisdiction, it will be irritating for Obi to resort to self-help in the face of the pending appeal at the Apex Court.
He specifically disagreed with Obi’s claims that all Nigerians are being treated like common criminals all over the world over Tinubu’s certificate issue adding that he had gone too far with the unsubstantiated claim.
Arabambi said, “We have been watching with keen interest the various reactions and mudslingings on the unsubstantiated allegations of forgery in respect of the Chicago State University Diploma Certificate of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“While we agree that Peter Obi has rights to his opinion, he ought to be guided by the Constitution of Nigeria because he who comes to equity must come with clean hands.
“As a main opposition Party, the role played by LP former 2023 Presidential Candidate is highly condemnable because it is obvious he is trying to wage war against the President of Nigeria through intimidation to cause concussion.
“We believe rather than Mr Peter OBI engaging in this Media Tragedy, rascality and comedy, he should have allowed the Supreme Court to adjudicate on the veracity of the issues raised in the President’s certificate saga”.
He disclosed that as the National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, he was among the people who screened Obi as one of the party’s presidential hopefuls and that the name written on Peter Obi’s academic certificate from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), was different from the name written on the NYSC certificate of the former governor and his WAEC Certificate.
In addition, he said “A second look and curious check on Peter Obi’s 1978 School Certificate results posted hurriedly” by Obi’s former aide Mr Oseloka Paul “shows the name Obi Gregory Onwubuasi and not Peter Onwubuasi Obi”.
He said, “I was part of the people who did the screening for him. In the form EC9, we gave him, he wrote that he attended the University of Nigeria Nsukka and he wrote that he finished his youth service but unfortunately, in the final submission of the form he only submitted his school certificate.
‘So something is fishy and I want to say the name the school sent for mobilization was not what was written on his NYSC certificate and he knows that.
“This destination that he is going to, I don’t know what he wants to achieve. We have before the Supreme Court his petition and the pleadings are not there, you are now calling out someone to come and reveal his true identity.
“For us, we don’t know the true identity of Peter Obi even in the Labour Party because everything was shrouded in secrecy at that time between him and Abure in Asaba.
“We were rushing then because we had just a day to do our presidential primary and that was why he was able to get away with it, but we have it on record that Obi’s name on his NYSC certificate and the one on his University of Nigeria, Nsukka certificate are different”.
Arabambi who displayed several documents submitted by Obi with different names charged the LP presidential candidate to allow peace to reign by avoiding actions and statements capable of causing disaffection in the country.
He vehemently denied being sponsored by the Presidency to oppose Obi, adding that all the Labour Party wants is for Obi to comport himself within the ambit of the law in the prosecution of the petition against Tinubu.
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