Awka_Leaders of the Northern Community in Anambra State have dismissed claims that former Anambra Governor and 2027 presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Peter Obi, discriminated against northerners and ordered the demolition of a mosque during his tenure.
The community leaders described the allegations as political propaganda aimed at tarnishing Obi’s image ahead of the 2027 general election.Speaking separately to reporters in Onitsha and Awka, they said northerners enjoyed a cordial relationship with the Obi administration and benefited from several of its initiatives, including free education, agricultural loans and sponsorship for the annual Hajj pilgrimage.
Those who spoke include the Secretary of the Northern Community for Anambra and Delta States, Mr. Mahmud Ibrahim; the traditional ruler of the Hausa Community in Awka, Alhaji Garba Haruna; and the Chairman of the Northern Community in Anambra, Alhaji Gidado Sidikki.Ibrahim, who said he has served as secretary for decades, clarified that the mosque in question was demolished before Obi assumed office.“Our relationship with Mr. Peter Obi during his tenure as governor and even now remains cordial.
We want to state clearly that the rumour that he demolished our mosque while in office is false,” Ibrahim said.He explained that the demolition occurred in February 2006 during a reprisal attack connected to the Sharia crisis, while Obi was sworn in as governor in March 2006.
