Employing northern cooks not proof you’ll unite Nigeria — Presidency hits Obi

The Presidency has dismissed Peter Obi’s reference to employing northern cooks and an aide-de-camp as evidence that he can unite Nigeria.

President Bola Tinubu’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Engagement, Fredrick Nwabufo, said Obi failed to present a clear strategy for national unity during his latest interview.

Obi, the Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate, had pledged to unite the country if elected president in 2027.

Nwabufo, however, described Obi’s reference to northerners who worked with him as a “tired refrain” that did not explain how he would unite Nigeria.

“Obi’s claim: He claimed he would unite Nigeria, but failed to explain how beyond the tired refrain of his cooks and ADC being northerners,” he said.

The presidential aide also accused Obi and his supporters of worsening divisions in the country.

“His utterances, actions, and those of his followers have but deepened the chasm,” Nwabufo said.

He argued that national unity could only be achieved through inclusive governance, economic integration and equitable citizenship.

“Essentially, the balancing forces of national cohesion are governance and the economy,” he said.

“We cannot discuss national unity in isolation from the levers of leadership and the material benefits of governance.”

Nwabufo said strengthening national unity required the delivery of public resources to citizens regardless of their religion, ethnicity or social standing.

He also accused Obi of lacking a plan, policy platform and understanding of governance.

“Peter Obi’s interview shows him again to be vacant of deep thought, understanding of governance, and taken up by syrupy rhetoric,” he said.

“He still has no plan, no alternative, and no policy plank, beyond a mouthful of sentimental nothings.”

Nwabufo claimed the Tinubu administration had promoted national cohesion by ensuring that the six geopolitical zones benefited equally from government programmes, initiatives and projects.

He also cited the appointment of young professionals from different backgrounds as evidence of inclusive governance under Tinubu.

“For the first time in the evolution of Nigeria, young people are superintending strategic sectors of government,” he said.