Alleged ethnic rivalry in Lagos, others handiwork of hypocritical politicians —Obi

The Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, on Monday blamed the alleged ethnic rivalry in Lagos State and other parts of the country following the February 25 elections on the handiwork of hypocritical politicians.

Obi’s unprecedented victory in Lagos, the country’s commercial nerve centre and APC stronghold in the South West, had engendered unpalatable discussions along ethnic lines.

Reports had emerged that Igbos resident in the state had allegedly come under severe attacks for supporting Obi in the election.

The development was not unconnected to the plans of Labour Party supporters to defeat the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the forthcoming gubernatorial and house of assembly elections.

Obi, who reacted to the development during an Arise TV interview, blamed hypocritical politicians for confusing the masses.

The former Anambra State Governor insisted his victory in Lagos had nothing to do with tribal sentiments, urging Nigerians to stop ethnic rivalry.

He said: “People are just trying to hide in what does not exist to cause confusion. There’s no such thing. The vote I got in Lagos State cut across everybody in Lagos. Call it Yorubas, Igbos, Hausas, Ijaws and all the tribes that are resident in Lagos.

Read also:Sowore attacks Obi for not challenging Tinubu’s victory, but electoral process

“So I can tell you that I know people who are purely Yoruba that supported me 24 hours. And it shouldn’t be. In 2003, Obasanjo got over 90% of the vote in the South East despite the fact that our own leader, Ojukwu was contesting.

“Then nobody shouted at anybody or stopped doing business with anybody. Obasanjo failed in Yoruba land but we gave him more votes even when our own revered leader was contesting. Nobody quarrelled over it.

“There are still Yoruba people who live in the East. In Onitsha, two prominent people that I’m dealing with are from the South West. They are there, and nobody harasses them. They have the right to vote for whomever they want. In 2011, we voted for Jonathan. He got more votes in the South East than the South-South.

“When Abiola contested for president, he got more votes in the South East than the South West even when his Vice Presidential candidate was a Muslim Northerner. When Tofa had a respected Igboman as a Vice president, Abiola won. When election was annulled, Igbo people lost more in NADECO.

“So when people bring up issues that are nonexistent. So who are the people that voted for me in Abuja? Nobody got 25% in Abuja. I got 95%. Were the Igbos that voted for me in Plateau? Were they the ones that voted for me in Nasarawa? Are there 300,000 Igbos in Kaduna?

“Today, we have a Pakistani as the Mayor of London and an Indian as Prime Minister. And they’re doing far better than we’re doing in this place that is not even working; we’re still trying to divide ourselves.

“It is this rascality, this structure that we’re trying to remove. It brings hatred and must be removed so that the system can work. They’re shouting that Peter campaigned on religion but they are the ones doing it. I’ve never told anyone to vote for me based on religion.”

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