On his verified official X handle, Mr Peter Obi, former Governor of Anambra State and presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, has alleged, in his own words, that “my New Year Message has now led to threats to my life, my family, and those around me. While I have received all sorts of messages, one Mr. Felix Morka has gone further to accuse me of “crossing the line” and has warned that I will face consequences.” Ostensibly, Mr Obi’s allegation is in reference to Morka’s answer to a question during an interview on AriseTV’s THIS WEEK program on Saturday, January 4, 2025.
To be clear and for the record, Morka did not threaten Mr Obi or his family or those around him or anyone. Morka has absolutely no reason to, and has never, threatened Obi or anyone. Nothing that Morka said in that interview or any other forum remotely contains or suggests threat against Mr. Obi or anyone else, as the verbatim transcription of the relevant clip indisputably attests:
*Arise TV* : You have actually hit back with a volley of attacks, calling Peter Obi a prohet of doom. Some of you have said he is always embarking on voodoo economics that are not in line with current realities. Don’t you think that is a slingshot that has gone beyond normal policking?
*Morka* : No, he is the one throwing darts. Mr. Obi is shooting from the hip. He is not looking, he is not taking an aim; he just shoots wildly like what we used to see in movies back in the days in “Wild, Wild West.” He is not being rational, he is absolutely irrational in his thinking and in his commentary for a man who was Governor for eight years and left nothing to remember in Anambra State by way of legacy or transformation. But all of a sudden, he had served as Governor for eight years, he did’t have the wisdom or the smartness to change Anambra State; to the make Anambra the beacon, the example of governance in the country. But then he runs for President in 2023, and now that he didn’t win, he is sulking. Rather than get a perspective of what he did to lose so he can get better in future, he thinks that he can bring down the government by being maliciously deceptive. That is wrong. I’m not someone to go on the offensive in that manner. But Mr. Obi has crossed the line so many times. And, I think that, at this point, he has coming to him whatever he gets. He should manage it.”
Morka’s answer was in the exclusive context of the question. The last sentence of that answer that, “I am not somebody to go on the offensive in that manner, but Mr. Obi has crossed the line so many times and I think that at this point he has coming to him, whatever he gets, he needs to manage it”, was in specific and exclusive response to the question’s reference to “prophet of doom” and “voodoo economics”. Again, nothing in that sentence constitutes or suggests a threat to Obi or anyone.
While everyone has a right to free speech, no one has a right to peddle misinformation or outright falsehood. The right to free speech granted by our country’s Constitution is not Mr. Obi’s exclusive right but a right that is available to all Nigerians, including Morka. Mr. Obi cannot disseminate misinformation and demand or expect that no one should disagree or challenge his false narrative.
Ours is a democracy where every citizen, irrespective of political affiliation, is entitled to agree or disagree with other political views or opinions. More than any other Nigerian in this political dispensation, Mr. Obi has exercised his fundamental liberty to speak and disseminate his political views in person, in the formal and on social media.
Obi leads a restless band of online mob who continue to attack, intimidate, bully and issue death threats to other citizens who dare disagree or criticize Obi or his opinions or position on any subject or matter of national conversation. Many eminent and highly respected elder statesmen have been serially attacked, humiliated and bullied by Obi’s online followers. Obi has never condemned their conduct or called them to order.
Obi must think himself to be Nigeria’s sacred cow, the super citizen, quintessential, without blemish, beyond reproach, always right, never wrong, and endowed with the supreme and inalienable right to deride, castigate, intimidate blackmail and incite Nigerians against other political leaders who disagree with him, even those who defeated him decisively in the last general election. Mr. Obi is not entitled to any monolithic or exclusive constitutional or extraterrestrial liberty over and above any other citizen.
There’s no doubt that Mr. Obi has crossed the line of truth in his many assessments. As a candidate for the office of President in the last general election, Mr. Obi made very bold electoral promises to implement specific economic policies to tackle the country’s economic crisis. For example:
Mr Obi promised to abolish the system of fuel subsidy from day one. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu abolished the system of fuel subsidy on day one. Obi has continued to lambast and incite Nigerians against the Tinubu administration for doing exactly what he promised he would do if he was elected president. That is crossing the line of truth.
Mr. Obi promised to abolish the dual foreign exchange rate system. President Tinubu has abolished the dual exchange rate system. Obi has continued to lambast and incite Nigerians against the Tinubu administration for doing exactly what he promised he would do if he was elected president. That is crossing the line of truth.
Mr. Obi promised to transform Nigeria from a consumer to production economy. Under President Tinubu’s leadership, Nigeria now exports more petroluem and agricultural products than it imports with a record of three consecutive quarter massive trade surplus to show. Obi has continued to lambast and incite Nigerians against the Tinubu administration for doing exactly what he promised he would do if he was elected president. That is crossing the line of truth.
Crossing the line of truth and peddling false narratives, arrogant unwillingness to acknowledge obvious markers of progress, mobilizing outrage and stoking tension against the government are not exactly the most admirable hallmarks of leadership. Peter Obi’s constant flip-flops have crossed a critical line, exposing a disturbing lack of principled commitment. By altering his stance to suit his political interests and drumbeats of the vocal online supporters, Obi undermines his credibility and raises serious concern about his leadership capabilities. Nigeria deserves opposition leaders who uphold principle and engage in fact-based critiques rather than barefaced indulgence in opportunistic and manipulative politics. The trust of the people is sacred, and Obi’s vacillations demonstrate a willingness to sacrifice this trust for political gain.
As the National Spokesman of the ruling Party, I will continue to hold Obi and other opposition actors accountable for their actions just as they seek to, and should, hold our great Party and administration accountable, when truth and public trust are compromised.
Mr. Obi’s allegation that Morka threatened his life is a self-evident malicious lie and an attention-seeking, playing-the-victim, emotional blackmail. His claim is patently false and reprehensible.
By falsely claiming that Morka threatened his life, Mr. Obi has libeled Morka in the extreme, and has incited his online mob to make death threats against Morka and members of his family. That is unacceptable. As a public figure, Mr. Obi bears a responsibility to provide accurate and truthful information. Instead, he has chosen to peddle falsehood and mislead Nigerians in quest for political currency and relevance.
We call on Mr. Obi to immediately set the record straight, withdraw his false allegation against Morka, and call his online supporters to order.
Morka, stands ready to explore all available recourse mechanisms in valiant defence of his decency and impeccable reputation.
