Former Enugu State House of Assembly member and ex-South-East spokesman for President Bola Tinubu’s presidential campaign council, Denge Josef Umunnakwe Onoh, has warned that public attacks on Peter Obi could weaken the South-East’s political influence at the national level.

Onoh, in a statement made available to journalists in Abuja, urged political actors in the region to exercise restraint and maintain what he described as regional decorum, particularly amid recent exchanges involving Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo and Minister of Works David Umahi.

He said political differences and competing ambitions were legitimate in a democracy, but argued that publicly insulting prominent South-East politicians for short-term political gains amounted to undermining the region’s collective interests.

“We must look at the broader political matrix of Nigeria,” Onoh said.

According to him, the major political blocs in the country understand the importance of protecting their prominent figures, even when internal disagreements exist.

He argued that weakening a leading politician ultimately reduced the bargaining power of the wider group in negotiations at the federal level.

Onoh warned that continued division among South-East political leaders could leave the region without a strong and united voice in national politics.

He described the potential consequence as a situation where the region’s people would remain “political nomads”—individually successful but without a stable political anchor capable of advancing collective interests.

The former lawmaker also pointed to what he described as a historical pattern in which politicians sacrificed regional solidarity for temporary political patronage.

“History does not lie,” he said, warning that politicians who undermined regional cohesion or targeted prominent figures for external political benefits could eventually lose influence and respect within their home base after leaving office.

Onoh said the political influence of the South-East should not be limited to its current geographical states, arguing that Igbo interests and communities extended from Ikwerre and Port Harcourt in Rivers State to Nsukka in Enugu State, bordering Kogi and Benue states.

He also Identified the region’s spread from Anioma and Igbanke in Delta and Edo states, west of the Niger, to border areas of Cross River and Akwa Ibom states in the east.

He described the broad network as an important asset for political negotiations and regional development.

“True unity is the ultimate strategic asset,” Onoh said.

He argued that since the eras of Nnamdi Azikiwe and Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, no South-East politician had achieved the level of national acceptance and cross-regional appeal he attributed to Obi.

“Peter Obi has built a major national brand. To systematically attempt to diminish him for cheap, temporary glory is to devalue the region’s own currency,” he said.

Onoh, however, distinguished between legitimate political competition and personal attacks, saying politicians could belong to different parties and pursue different political interests without resorting to insults.

He commended Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, Abia State Governor Alex Otti and Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah for what he described as political maturity in maintaining decorum despite their different political affiliations and strategies.

According to him, the three governors had demonstrated that politicians could compete fiercely while maintaining respect for political opponents.

Onoh also stressed that every Nigerian had the constitutional right to support any political candidate, including President Bola Tinubu, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Obi or any other contender.

“Let everyone express their choices clearly through the ballot box. If you do not believe in Peter Obi’s vision, speak your mind by voting against him at the polls,” he said.

“But do not join external choruses to launch vitriolic insults against a decent man who, despite his natural human flaws, has brought profound global pride to millions.”

He urged political actors to focus their campaigns on the programmes, competence and manifestos of their preferred candidates rather than personal attacks.

Onoh warned that politicians who publicly denigrate Obi for exercising his constitutional right to seek office could face the judgement of their communities after the current political season.

“The fanfare, the sirens, and the temporary political razzmatazz of today will inevitably come to an end,” he said.

“When the dust settles, the community will remember those who broke the bond of regional respect for a seat at a temporary table.” (The Guardian)

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