Felix Morka, spokesperson of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has denied threatening the life of Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP).
On Monday, January 6, Obi, a former governor of Anambra state, claimed his life was under threat due to his criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s administration. In his New Year message to Nigerians, Obi raised concerns about the hardship citizens are facing and “institutional corruption.”
Responding to Obi’s remarks, Morka had described him as a “prophet of doom” and said, “he has crossed the line so many times and has it coming to him whatever he gets.” This statement led Obi to allege that his life was being threatened.
In a statement on Tuesday, January 7, Morka rejected the accusation, saying Obi should stop spreading falsehood. “While everyone has a right to free speech, no one has a right to peddle misinformation or outright falsehood,” he stated. “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 Morka.”
“Mr Obi cannot disseminate misinformation and demand or expect that no one should disagree or challenge his false narrative.” Morka also accused Obi of leading a “mob” that issues threats to those who oppose him. “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,” he alleged.
“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,” Morka added. “That is unacceptable. As a public figure, Mr. Obi bears a responsibility to provide accurate and truthful information,” he said.