…Warns he will explore every option to defend his reputation
From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
The National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Felix Morka, has dismissed the allegation that he threatened Labour Party (LP) 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
In a statement he signed, Morka noted that Obi had on his verified official X handle alleged, 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.”
The statement from the ruling party’s spokesperson further clarified that Obi’s allegation is ostensibly in reference to his answer to a question during an interview on a national television programme last week.
While setting records straight, Morka explained: “To be clear and for the record, I did not threaten Mr Obi or his family or those around him or anyone. I have absolutely no reason to, and have never, threatened Obi or anyone.”
“Nothing that I said in that interview or any other forum remotely contains or suggests a threat against Mr Obi or anyone else, as the verbatim transcription of the relevant clip indisputably attests,” he clarified.
Reacting further, Morka insisted that his response during the interview session was in the exclusive context of the question, warning that he will explore any available recourse mechanisms in valiant defence of his decency and impeccable reputation.
He said that Obi’s allegation that he 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.
He further explained; “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 myself.
“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,” he noted In the statement.
The highly infuriated APC spokesman wondered how the former Anambra State Governor “leading a restless band of online mob attacking, intimidating, bullying and issuing death threats to other citizens could complain against other Nigerians expressing their fundamental rights.
“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 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 a production economy. Under President Tinubu’s leadership, Nigeria now exports more petroleum 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,” he accused Obi in the statement.
Summing up his defence, Morka, noted: “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 the drumbeats of the vocal online supporters, Obi undermines his credibility and raises serious concerns 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 I 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 I threatened his life, Mr Obi has libeled me in the extreme and has incited his online mob to make death threats against me and members of my 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 the quest for political currency and relevance.
“We call on Mr Obi to immediately set the record straight, withdraw his false allegation against me, and call his online supporters to order. I, stand ready to explore all available recourse mechanisms in valiant defence of his decency and impeccable reputation.”
