Professor of Political Economy, Pat Utomi, has questioned the persistent criticism of former Anambra State Governor and Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, asking why the politician continues to attract hostility despite finishing third in the 2023 presidential election.
Utomi raised the concern in a post on his verified X handle on Saturday, describing the intensity of attacks against Obi from different political quarters as deserving of explanation.
“There is no convincing explanation for why a candidate who finished third in the 2023 presidential election attracts this level of hostility from all directions.
“The intensity of the attacks raises questions that Nigerians deserve answers to. Perhaps one day, we will finally understand what really happened in 2023,” Utomi wrote.
Although Utomi did not mention any individual or political party, his comments came amid recent criticisms of Obi by President Bola Tinubu, Vice-President Kashim Shettima and Senator representing Edo North, Adams Oshiomhole.
At the All Progressives Congress rally held at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, on Friday, Tinubu criticised Obi’s record as Anambra governor, particularly his handling of erosion, while highlighting his own efforts to tackle coastal erosion in Lagos.
“He’s in one party; they called NDC, who is running for president; he ran away from erosion in Anambra State. He could not confront erosion,” Tinubu said.
“I, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, confronted the Atlantic Ocean; I tamed it for you. Umo Eno confronted the erosion in Akwa Ibom, and it’s working for you.”
Similarly, Shettima, while addressing the rally, accused Obi of squandering the goodwill he previously enjoyed among Nigerians, alleging that the former Anambra governor had relied on false claims and misleading statistics.
“And clearly this gentleman has run himself out of this race with his lies and bogus statistics. We warned him that he’ll get to that.
“Peter Obi has clearly messed up and squandered away his goodwill; he no longer excites when he speaks these days. He draws suspicions; it’s too bad for him,” Shettima said.
Oshiomhole also criticised Obi during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, describing him as a trader and accusing him of failing to offer an alternative to Tinubu’s policies ahead of the 2027 general election.
“Peter Obi has not offered any alternative. I think it is you or someone else who asked him for security. What will you do differently? He said it’s in his heart.
“I’ve always said that Peter Obi is a trader; the logic of a trader is short-term turnover. A statesman that Tinubu represents thinks of the next generation,” Oshiomhole said.
According to the official results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission, Obi, who contested the 2023 presidential election on the platform of the Labour Party, polled 6,101,533 votes to finish third.
Tinubu, who contested on the APC platform, won the election with 8,794,726 votes, while Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party came second with 6,984,520 votes.
