BREAKING: Any dirt you sling at Peter Obi will not stick — Peter Akah fires back at Sowore

Peter Akah has responded to Omoyele Sowore’s criticism of former Anambra State governor Peter Obi, saying Sowore should be careful with the comments he makes about Obi.

Akah said Sowore and his media agency played a key role in bringing the APC to power in 2015, while also questioning the internal democracy of Sowore’s African Action Congress (AAC).

Have you been able to audit the AAC? Who is the chairman? So one person just running a show and then criminalizing every other person, Akah said.

He also challenged Sowore over the structure of his political party, saying, If I call for chairmanship, it is the presidential candidate. You are presidential candidate, you are treasurer, you are auditor, you are everything, but you know how to call every other person names.

Akah said Sowore is more than capable of defending himself but warned: I would tread carefully with Sowore.

On Sowore’s claim that Peter Obi failed as governor of Anambra State, Akah said the fact that people continue to show love for Obi many years after he left office is significant.

It is a good thing for you to acknowledge that they like him. That alone is okay, for you to know that they like him, he said.

Akah argued that if it were easy for politicians to buy the love of the people, every politician would do so.

He recalled that Obi’s successor, Chief Willie Obiano, had been critical of Obi, but after Obiano had an EFCC case, was arrested and granted bail, he left for the United States and has not returned.

Akah asked why President Bola Tinubu, despite saying his administration has made bold reforms and introduced what he described as renewed hopelessness, has not become endeared to Nigerians.

He said the people of Anambra State are the best people to give a referendum on Peter Obi’s administration.

The best people who are able to give a referendum on Peter Obi’s administration are the people of Anambra State, Akah said.

He challenged critics to go to Onitsha, Upper Iweka, Head Bridge and Awka to see for themselves the relationship between Obi and the people he governed.

Akah also pointed to videos showing the current governor of Anambra State speaking when Peter Obi walks into an event, saying the reaction to Obi shows that something was done right during his administration.

He recalled Obi’s statement that we no dey give shishi, explaining that Obi had maintained that he would not spend stolen government money or steal money and distribute it to the people, but would instead be financially prudent and manage state resources properly.

And at the end of it you still get that kind of love. There is something you are doing right, Akah said.

He therefore challenged Sowore to allow the people of Anambra State to give their own verdict on Obi’s leadership and also called on Sowore to get a referendum from whatever he has been able to lead.

I respect him. I love him. I’m sure by the time he sees this, he will call me, Akah said.

However, Akah criticised Sowore’s approach to politics, questioning the benefit of protesting for years, moving around and shouting without eventually getting into office.

What is the benefit of protesting for thirty years, moving around and we are shouting and we cannot get into office? he asked.

He said it would be better to imagine Sowore in the National Assembly, arguing that political participation could provide an opportunity to make changes from within the system.

Akah also criticised what he described as a pattern of attacking everybody in politics.

Everybody is a thief. Everybody is a thief, only you are the saint, he said, asking when Sowore came to the conclusion that everybody was a thief and should not be worked with.

Akah further reminded Sowore that he and others supported and helped bring what he described as the calamity we call the APC today.

When did you realize that everybody should not be worked with? he asked.

According to Akah, when someone becomes an opposition of the opposition, it becomes a problem because people who spend more time criticising those trying to change a bad government can end up becoming neither here nor there.

He said everybody is doing their best and that Nigeria must find common ground because the Nigerian president will always be a Nigerian.

We must find common ground. We must agree. What exactly is this person bringing to the table? he said.

Akah also defended Obi against allegations, recalling Obi’s statement: I’m not a saint, but I’m not a thief.

He said Obi had challenged anyone with anything against him to bring it out, promising to stop campaigning if the allegations were proven.

Akah also referred to Anambra State Governor Charles Soludo’s criticism of Obi, saying Soludo had written an op-ed before the 2023 election claiming he had Obi’s records and that it was only part one.

According to Akah, after Soludo tested the waters and saw the feedback, he supported Atiku Abubakar in 2023, but when Nigerians challenged him, he never produced the second part.

Akah also questioned criticisms surrounding Obi’s financial decisions, asking whether Obi had actually done anything wrong by saving money for the state.

Things that people will do in other countries and will get awarded is what you want to use as a tool to blackmail or to drag him, he said.

Akah concluded by insisting that attacks against Obi would not stick.

Any dirt you sling at Peter Obi will not stick, and I think Sowore should sit that out, Peter Akah said.