“Nigeria Needs A Statesman, Not A Grievance Merchant”- Ogra Slams Peter Obi’s Disregard For National Symbols
Presidential aide O’tega Ogra has criticized Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), for allegedly disregarding national symbols during a recent political gathering.
At a party town hall meeting in Lagos, Obi and his supporters chanted the former national anthem instead of the currently recognized official anthem.
In response, Ogra—who serves as the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Digital Communication and New Media—argued that the open display points to a selective respect for the rule of law.
“If a presidential aspirant considers himself entitled to disregard a law simply because he disagrees with it, what assurance do Nigerians have that he will respect other laws he finds inconvenient?” Ogra asked.
Describing Obi’s actions as a “breathtaking display of hypocrisy,” the presidential aide questioned the former governor’s commitment to democratic norms.
“You want Nigerians to entrust you with the highest office in the land, yet you apparently cannot bring yourself to accept a national anthem simply because President Tinubu’s government lawfully restored it,” Ogra stated. “And you are the man who keeps writing ‘lamentational epistles’ and travelling around the country preaching faux discipline, patriotism, and responsible leadership.”
Labeling the NDC presidential candidate’s actions as “petty and theatrical,” Ogra cautioned Obi against discarding symbols of national unity.
“Nigeria is not your personal playground, and its lawful national anthem is not a campaign jingle you can decide to discard whenever your political ego suffers a bruise,” he said. “You want to occupy Aso Rock, yet even a national anthem becomes an opportunity to parade your insistence on division and unlawful behaviour.”
Advising Obi to desist from actions capable of setting the nation on fire, Otega Ogra urged him to confront Tinubu at the ballot rather than dragging the symbols of the country he “falsely claims to love” into his “endless political tantrums.”
“Nigeria needs a statesman in the person of President Tinubu, not a professional grievance merchant like Peter Gregory Obi auditioning for the presidency,” Ogra affirmed.
