•Donates N50m to Alma Mater
•Wabara: Edo gov’s threat to ex-Anambra gov executive rascality, gross ignorance
Former governor of Anambra State, Mr Peter Obi, has dismissed a recent threat by the Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, saying he received threats daily.
Obi was reacting to questions from journalists in Awka on recent threats by Okpebholo, who stated that his safety would not be guaranteed if he visited his state.
Obi, who was at his alma mater, Christ the King College, Onitsha, Anambra State, to make a donation, said he was not afraid of threats, because he received threats everyday.
He added that if he had need to be in Edo State to make a donation, he would not hesitate to go there, as threats meant nothing to him any longer.
“Threats don’t make any meaning to me. I receive threats everyday. Do you know how many times I have been threatened all over Nigeria? I receive threats everyday actually, the ones you know about was because it was vocal, but I will not be afraid.
“If I have the opportunity to go to Benin and make donations again, trust me, I will. I have always said that we should de-emphasise politics and think more of how to invest in the people. I went to Benin to invest in people because if they have good doctors, good nurses, they will have a better life.
“What the governor should have done is to complement what I was doing in his state instead of threatening me. He should be sincerely grateful.
“I’m in school today to make a donation, I’m going to be in school somewhere in Nigeria tomorrow too. I’m going to be in school on Saturday, I’m going to be in school on Sunday and even on Monday. Forget about the threat, it’s a waste of time.”
Obi, however, donated N50 million to the school, which was made available by he and other old boys of the institution.
He said he merely met and spoke with some old boys of the school about the need to rally round the school for it to get a staff quarters and a better administrative building and they obliged.
“I say it everyday that those who have verifiable honest means of livelihood should endeavour to invest in schools, invest in society, invest in health, lift people from poverty and empower others. I did not say go and steal money and donate to schools.
“I just spoke to one or two old boys of this school that we don’t have teachers quarters, we don’t have staff quarters, and administrative blocks and they decided to donate. That is what people should be doing,” he said.
In a related development, a former President of the Senate, Dr Adolphus Wabara, has described the threat on Obi by Okpebholo as a clear case of gross ignorance of constitutional provisions, executive rascality and a reflection of governor’s academic hollowness and ineptitude.
He also warned persons pushing Nigeria toward the brink through political overzealousness, stressing that national peace and unity must take precedence over partisan interests.
Wabara, who stated this in a statement said Okpebholo’s unguarded statement was an overreach of executive powers, stressing that no state governor has the constitutional authority to restrict the lawful movement of any Nigerian citizen.
He, therefore, called on political office holders to exercise restraint and foster unity, rather than sow division through inflammatory rhetoric.
Condemning Okpebholo for making such a reckless statement, Wabara warned that such “provocative and unguarded utterances” could inflame ethnic tensions between Edo citizens and the Igbo community to which Obi belongs.
The former Senate President specifically said that Section 41 (1) of the 1999 Constitution guaranteed every Nigerian the right to move freely and reside in any part of the country.
“It smacks of executive impunity, power intoxication, political insanity, and gross abuse of office for an elected Governor to exhibit such intolerable dictatorial tendencies,” he said.
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