The Media Adviser to Mr. Peter Obi, former Governor of Anambra State and Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, Mr. Valentine Obienyem, has described Mr. John CDO Ikeotuonye as “a very wicked and shameless personality who would stop at nothing, not even crude falsehood, to malign others.”
Obienyem was reacting to Ikeotuonye’s recent comments on the True Talk Podcast, where he alleged, among other things, that Mr. Obi refused to assist former Nigerian football star, Kanu Nwankwo, with money for his heart surgery; that Obi was the highest shareholder in Interfact Breweries; and that he only appointed Catholics into public office during his tenure as Governor of Anambra State.
On the issue of Kanu Nwankwo, Obienyem dismissed the allegation as “not just wicked but satanic.” He explained that Kanu underwent his heart surgery in 1996, long before Obi became Governor. “It was public knowledge that Inter Milan, Kanu’s club at the time, paid the hospital bills. So, how could anyone with a shred of decency fabricate such lies? Even if one were commissioned by the Devil himself,” Obienyem stressed, “there must still be a limit to evil.”
Highlighting Obi’s record with sportsmen, Obienyem continued: “As Governor, Obi was number one in supporting sportsmen. He donated a bus to Enugu Rangers, instituted monthly stipends for their players, and personally assisted many ex-internationals. Just last year, when ex-Rangers star Tijani Babangida had an accident, Obi visited him. That same year, when a member of the old Rangers passed away, Obi bought land and built a house for his family. Before Christian Chukwu died, I personally paid in money on Obi’s behalf as part of his routine support. These are verifiable acts. For Ikeotuonye to deny them shows he has no conscience left.”
On the issue of Interfact Breweries, Obienyem explained that before the company set up facilities in Anambra, they had already been partners with Obi. “All Obi did was to use his influence to attract a multinational to invest in the state. Contrary to Ikeotuonye’s lies, Obi was never the highest shareholder. At that time, the Anambra State Government was the largest shareholder. Beyond taxes paid to the state, Interfact also paid dividends, created jobs for Anambra people, and boosted local businesses. Twisting such a positive legacy into a smear campaign is the height of desperation and wickedness.”
He went further to reveal that after Obi left office, his successor failed to retain Interfact’s planned expansion in Anambra, and the company did so in Ogun State. “The day the new facility was commissioned in Ogun, the Governor there was full of praises for the role Obi had played in attracting the multinational to Nigeria in the first place. Could you see the contrast?” Obienyem asked. “Where one leader’s vision was celebrated in another state, some small-minded traducers popped up by even the home governor are even busy manufacturing lies to soil his name.”
Addressing the claim that Obi appointed only Catholics into his cabinet, Obienyem described it as “a deliberate falsehood peddled by men who thrive on religious bigotry.” He observed that critics conveniently ignore the fact that Obi remains the only Governor in Anambra’s history who never appointed his relatives into government positions or awarded contracts to his brothers, either directly or indirectly. He further cautioned that those who consistently use religion as a weapon “are among the most lethal enemies of Nigeria, for nothing destroys a nation faster than sectarian hatred.”
Providing statistics, Obienyem said:“In Obi’s government, the Chief of Staff, Commissioners for Economic Planning and Budget, Justice, Local Government, Health, Women Affairs, Youths and Sports, Lands, Finance, Science and Technology, Agriculture, as well as the Special Adviser on MDG and the two Permanent Secretaries in the Governor’s Office were all Anglicans. Out of six members of the Civil Service Commission, three were Anglicans. Out of the five Chief Judges during Obi’s tenure, four were Anglicans. The Customary Court of Appeal, which became functional under him, had two judges – both Anglicans. Out of the 10 maternities he built with the grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, four were located in Anglican parishes. Even the State Pilgrims Board was headed by a non-Catholic. Would any reasonable person, in the face of these facts, accuse Obi of exclusion?”
“It is pure and unadulterated idiocy for anybody, like Ikeotuonye, to claim that he once visited Government House under Obi and was denied attention simply because he did not attend CKC. That is the height of absurdity. Characters like his are pure fabrications of falsehood – men who survive by trading in lies and feeding on the ignorance of the gullible. Such a claim is not only childish but also a disgrace to reason and decency.
“What sort of man manufactures stories so brazenly, without shame or conscience? Ikeotuonye represents the worst of our public space: empty, malicious, reckless, and dangerous. He is the very embodiment of what happens when envy, ignorance, and mischief are given a microphone. To suggest that Peter Obi, a man who governed with unmatched inclusiveness, would reduce governance to a CKC old boys’ club is laughable lunacy, the kind that belongs to the garbage heap of public discourse.”
Taking a swipe at Ikeotuonye’s other remarks, Obienyem declared: “How can any serious-minded person claim that Tinubu has cleared most of Nigeria’s loans, that because Nigeria has become better, that travelling to other countries has reduced, that kidnapping has reduced under him, or that life today is better than last year? Only a man completely divorced from reality could make such pronouncements. It is pathetic, laughable, and insulting to the intelligence of Nigerians.”
Obienyem concluded by condemning Ikeotuonye’s praise of President Tinubu for “putting the North in their place.” He asked: “Which place? How is it commendable to reduce the potentials of a people? The North, as Obi has always maintained, remains strategically important and must be developed, not undermined.”
For Obienyem, Ikeotuonye’s comments are not only malicious but “a descent into the pit of dishonour, where falsehood and hate are weaponised against men who have lived transparently for the common good.” He added: “Such characters as Ikeotuonye are not fit for honest national discourse. They are enemies of truth, enemies of unity, and ultimately, enemies of Nigeria itself. The irony is glaring: while responsible leaders in other states openly celebrate Obi’s vision, men of warped conscience at home choose to tarnish it. That contrast says it all.”
