Enyinnaya Abaribe, senator representing Abia South, has stated that Nigeria would have been in a better state if Peter Obi, the Labour Party (LP) candidate, had won the 2023 presidential election. Speaking on Politics Today, a Channels Television program, Abaribe criticized President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration for its nepotism and uneven ministerial appointments.
“If Peter Obi had won, you probably would have seen a better Nigeria than what we are seeing today,” Abaribe said. “He would not have been as nepotistic as this government. It’s not in him; he cares for everyone.”
The senator pointed out what he described as a glaring imbalance in Tinubu’s ministerial appointments, citing Ogun State having four ministers while many other states, such as Oyo, have only one.
“This nepotism is worse than what we saw under Buhari. Buhari did it, and many stayed silent. Now, Tinubu is deepening it. I was one of the few voices calling it out back then, and I’ll continue to do so,” he added.
Abaribe urged the people of the South-East to focus on developing their region instead of relying on fairness from successive federal administrations.
“It’s time for us to revamp the South-East, make it more livable, and cohesive,” he said. “Apart from Obasanjo and maybe Jonathan, we’ve not seen much fairness from the presidency toward the South-East.”
Reacting to the recent arrest of Simon Ekpa, a self-proclaimed leader of Biafra operating from Finland, Abaribe welcomed the development.
“What this arrest does is expose him for what he truly is and send a message to those at home instigated by his actions. His rhetoric has never aligned with the true aspirations of the Igbo people,” Abaribe said.
He emphasized that the Igbo community rejects the violent acts associated with Ekpa, stressing that the legitimate quest for a non-violent referendum by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has been overshadowed by criminal activities.
“The violence in the South-East is perpetrated by a band of criminals. Unfortunately, our security agencies often conflate these criminals with agitators,” he said.
Abaribe reiterated that releasing Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of IPOB, could help restore peace in the region. He argued that many of those using Kanu’s name to justify violence would lose their platform once he is freed.
“Releasing Kanu will clarify who is truly fighting for the people and expose those exploiting the situation for criminal gains,” he concluded.