The Senator representing Anambra Central, Victor Umeh, has accused former Borno State Governor, Ali Modu Sheriff, of attempting to whip up sentiment against the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, in Northern Nigeria ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Umeh was reacting to comments made by Sheriff during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, where the former governor said Northerners would not vote for Obi in 2027 because he is “divisive.”

“I am not worried about Peter Obi at all because I know that Northerners will never vote for Peter Obi,” Sheriff said.

When reminded that Obi secured substantial votes in states such as Nasarawa and Plateau during the 2023 presidential election, Sheriff dismissed the comparison, arguing that circumstances had changed.

“The situation is different now, you know why? Peter Obi, when he was a governor, chased all the Northerners out of Anambra State,” Sheriff alleged.

Responding on the same programme on Tuesday, Umeh said Sheriff was still operating with outdated political thinking, adding that Nigeria had moved beyond such divisive politics.

He maintained that Obi remains one of the finest politicians Nigeria has produced and is continuing to promote a message of peace and national renewal.

“Anybody who gets up to say the North will not vote for Peter Obi, they are inciting their people against Peter Obi to use that and weaponise a war that ended 56 years ago, that the North should not vote for Peter Obi. Let them remain in the stone age. Nobody is in the stone age anymore. Nigeria is moving. And if you don’t do reconciliation and healing, you cannot move forward,” Umeh said.

“So, what he (Ali Modu Sheriff) is trying to do is to whip up sentiment against Peter Obi ahead of the election. Peter Obi is one of the finest souls Nigeria has had. Somebody who is non-violent, somebody who preaches peace, somebody even if you slap him he will smile and he continues with his message of change. Let this country be turned around.”

The exchange followed Obi’s repeated criticism of President Bola Tinubu over worsening insecurity and his call for the President to resign if he is unable to protect Nigerians.

Sheriff, however, argued that Obi was the least qualified person to demand the President’s resignation, insisting that Tinubu was making genuine efforts to address the country’s security challenges.

But Umeh defended Obi, saying it was within his democratic rights to call for the President’s resignation if he believed the administration had failed to meet the expectations of Nigerians.

“He has a right to say the president has not met the expectations of the Nigerian people. It is politically allowed to say resign because the current president asked Jonathan to resign when he was in office,” Umeh said.

The lawmaker further argued that the Tinubu administration had not done enough to ease the hardship faced by Nigerians, particularly the high cost of petrol, which he said had contributed to rising prices of goods and services across the country. (Channels TV)

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