Utomi asks why Peter Obi faces attacks despite third-place finish in 2023
- Pat Utomi said on X there is no convincing explanation for the hostility towards Peter Obi.
- His post followed criticism of Obi by President Tinubu, Vice President Shettima and Adams Oshiomhole.
- INEC's 2023 results put Obi third with 6,101,533 votes behind Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar.
Political economist Pat Utomi has asked why Peter Obi keeps drawing attacks from several directions, given that Obi finished third in the 2023 presidential election.
Utomi raised the question in a post on his verified X account on Saturday. He said the level of hostility towards Obi needed explaining, and that Nigerians deserved answers.
He did not name any person or party in the post. But it came shortly after President Bola Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima and Edo North Senator Adams Oshiomhole criticised Obi, who is now the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) ahead of 2027.
What the APC leaders said
Speaking at an All Progressives Congress (APC) rally at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, on Friday, Tinubu accused Obi of failing to tackle erosion while he was Anambra State governor. Tinubu contrasted that with his own record in Lagos, saying he confronted the Atlantic Ocean and tamed it.
At the same event, Shettima said Obi had lost the goodwill he once enjoyed, alleging that Obi relied on false claims and misleading statistics. Oshiomhole, speaking on Channels TV's Politics Today on Thursday, said Obi had not offered an alternative to Tinubu's policies. He described Obi as a trader whose logic is short-term turnover, while calling Tinubu a statesman who thinks of the next generation.
These are the speakers' own characterisations of Obi and his record. Obi has not been convicted of any offence.
The 2023 numbers
According to results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Obi contested in 2023 on the Labour Party platform and polled 6,101,533 votes. That placed him third.
Tinubu of the APC won with 8,794,726 votes, while Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) came second with 6,984,520 votes.
Utomi's post suggests he believes the scrutiny of Obi goes beyond normal campaign criticism. He wrote that perhaps one day Nigerians will finally understand what really happened in 2023.
