Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Peter Obi, has challenged Nigerians to scrutinise his background and expose any wrongdoing he may have committed.
Obi spoke on Thursday in Port Harcourt during a town hall meeting with voters tagged “Obi Talks Nigeria”, where he fielded questions on the 2027 general election.
His remarks come amid public discussions about the backgrounds and records of leading contenders, including former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and President Bola Tinubu. The debate has also focused on the educational backgrounds of the three candidates after they omitted their primary and secondary school certificates from INEC personal particulars submitted in July.
The former Anambra governor said he and his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, had openly declared their backgrounds for Nigerians to fact-check.
“I want to give every Nigerian the opportunity to know who I am. Both of us have presented our backgrounds, from our dates of birth to our schools, education and all, to the people. You can go and verify our backgrounds worldwide, anywhere,” he said.
Obi made a veiled reference to the suit he filed against Kenneth Okonkwo, his 2023 campaign spokesperson, over alleged defamatory comments.
“We have sued somebody in court. He said he knows something he can say and the people will be shocked. I said I want you to say what people will be shocked about,” he said.
“I’m challenging every Nigerian. If there is anything that you know I have done that is wrong, say it out now.”
Obi added that anyone seeking top political office must emerge through an excellent process. “You cannot continue to answer his excellency when the process that got you there is not excellent,” he said.
