Leaders of northern communities in Anambra State have rejected allegations that former governor of the state, Mr Peter Obi, discriminated against northerners during his tenure, describing the claims as false and politically motivated.
The leaders, who spoke in Awka and Onitsha over the weekend, said their personal experiences with Obi contradicted allegations that he denied northerners opportunities, discriminated against them in government programmes or ordered the demolition of a mosque in Onitsha.
They urged politicians opposed to Obi to focus on selling their candidates to the electorate rather than allegedly using the northern community to advance claims they described as untrue.
The leaders said Obi had maintained a cordial relationship with the northern community in Anambra both during and after his administration.
They noted that his interactions with the community continued after he left office and were not restricted to political activities.
The Chairman of the Northern Community in Anambra State, Alhaji Gidado Sidikki, specifically said he was personally a beneficiary of the programme, receiving N10 million at the time.
“I was given N10 million. That N10 million then is about N100 million now. The way they gave it to me was the way they gave it to everybody. There was no discrimination in his agricultural loan,” he said.
He further alleged that Obi demonstrated compassion towards beneficiaries who were unable to repay the loans.
According to him, the former governor settled outstanding loans for some vulnerable beneficiaries before leaving office to spare them embarrassment.
“He included us in all his affairs. Before he left, he had paid up the loan for everybody because he said some people that collected the loans may not have money to pay. So, for them not to be humiliated, Peter Obi paid the loan for the vulnerable,” Sidikki said.
He also disclosed that his son benefited from Obi’s free education programme and was currently studying in China.
The traditional ruler of the Hausa Community in Awka, Alhaji Garba Haruna, said he never witnessed any policy under Obi that treated northerners differently from other residents of the state.
Haruna said his children benefited from the former governor’s free education programme, while he personally benefited from Obi’s sponsorship of the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.
He added that Obi had continued to maintain contact with the northern community since leaving office, including visiting members and sending gifts during Salah celebrations.
The leaders also rejected allegations that Obi ordered the demolition of a mosque in Onitsha.
The Secretary of the Muslim Community in Onitsha, Mr Mahmud Ibrahim, said the mosque was demolished during a reprisal attack in February 2006, before Obi assumed office as governor on March 17, 2006.
Ibrahim, who said he had served as secretary of the community from that period till date, described claims linking Obi to the demolition as false.
“I am the secretary from that time till now. If there is anything like that, I should know better,” he said.
According to him, Obi visited members of the Muslim community who had taken refuge at an Army barracks following the incident and later accompanied them back to the affected area.
He added that Obi also contributed financially towards the rebuilding of the mosque.
Ibrahim further dismissed claims that Obi compelled northerners in Anambra to obtain identity cards.
He explained that the identity cards issued to members of the northern community were initiated by the community itself to facilitate identification of its members.
He clarified that the Anambra Integrated Development Strategy (ANIDS) card was a separate identification system applicable to all residents of the state.
The leaders also recalled Obi’s intervention during the dualisation of Upper Iweka Road in Onitsha, a project which affected the popular goat market patronised by members of the northern community.
According to them, Obi met with members of the community, explained the proposed eight-lane road project and provided an alternative location for the market.
One of the leaders said the disagreement that followed was largely driven by fears among traders that the new location would not attract the same level of commercial activity as the old market.
“But in terms of love, Peter Obi showed us that in abundance,” he said.
The leaders said they were therefore surprised by what they described as attempts to rewrite their experiences with the former governor for political purposes.
They urged northerners across the country to independently verify allegations against political candidates rather than rely on claims circulating on social media.
The leaders said they remained free to support any candidate they considered credible but insisted that such support should not be based on falsehoods or attacks against political opponents.
They also expressed optimism about Obi’s prospects in the 2027 presidential election, saying they would mobilise members of the northern community resident in Anambra to support his candidacy.
The leaders further expressed hope that a possible political alliance involving former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, whom they described as “our brother,” would strengthen Obi’s chances in the election.
