The Agulu Political Mandate Forum (APMF), a group apparently formed to oppose Mr Peter Obi in his hometown of Agulu, has issued a stern warning to him, albeit couched in the language of friendly advice.
The group criticised him for not being sufficiently involved in the affairs of Agulu and urged him to return to his political roots and assume a leadership role in the town.
In a statement signed by the group’s leader, Dr Nweze Kene Agajelu, a lecturer at the College of Education (Technical) Umunze, and the Secretary, Mr Shedrach Johnbull Ifedigbo, a staff member of the Public Complaints Commission, the APMF expressed deep concern over what it described as Mr Obi’s “growing detachment” from his own people, noting that he donates generously even in the West and North when, in their view, he should focus solely on Agulu.
While insisting that their intent is not to malign Mr Obi, the group criticised him for not building a house in Agulu and for failing to engage regularly with the community. They also accused him of constructing Next Cash and Carry in Abuja instead of Agulu. Furthermore, they claimed his political style has stifled the aspirations of others in the town, citing the example of Mr Gabriel Obienyem, who they allege lost his bid to lead the Anambra State chapter of the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) due to a lack of support from Mr Obi during his time as governor.
The group also accused Mr Obi of using the people of Agulu for political gain during election seasons and abandoning them afterwards. As part of their demands, they called on him to compensate all those who supported his gubernatorial, vice-presidential, and presidential campaigns, as well as those who backed his endorsed candidates. They demanded that he donate at least twenty million naira each to all public and private schools in Agulu; award university scholarships annually to 20 Agulu students; donate fifty million naira to Agulu General Hospital; and provide five million naira to each health centre in the town. They also insisted he should register 2,000 Agulu residents on a health insurance scheme and construct at least one road in every village in Agulu. Interestingly, they thanked former Governor Willie Obiano for “siting” the Agulu Lake Hotel in the town.
When contacted, the Onowu of the town, Chief Paulinus Anagboso, dismissed the group as “greedy individuals always seeking personal gain and trying to destroy the peace in the town.” He described as an act of wickedness the group’s failure to acknowledge that Mr Peter Obi remains the highest benefactor of the town, adding that none of those behind the “satanic publication” has ever donated even a stick of chalk to any primary school in Agulu.
In his own reaction, the President General of the town, Chief Oliver Afamefuna, described the release as “regrettable and childish.” He said what endeared Obi to the people of Anambra and Nigerians in general is the fairness with which he approaches governance. “He is on record as the only governor who treated all parts of the state as one family,” Afamefuna noted. “It is unreasonable to expect him to be seen to favour Agulu over other towns. If he were that kind of person, how would the rest of Nigerians trust him?”
When contacted, Obi’s media adviser, Mr Valentine Obienyem, said that releasing such “trash” to the public reveals the mindset of those he described as “rascals” and “little demons without respect for holy water.”
Obienyem said the group’s desperation to undermine Mr Peter Obi was evident in their false claims. “To show the world the darkness in their hearts,” he said, “they even credited Obiano with the Agulu Lake Hotel, a project that was actually initiated and executed by Peter Obi. If they were sincere, why didn’t they also thank him for facilitating the relocation of the High Court from Agulu?”
Commenting on the call for Obi to offer scholarships to 20 people from Agulu, Obienyem stated that the Obi family is second to none in Agulu—and even beyond—in that regard. He revealed that for over 20 years, the family has been awarding scholarships to indigent individuals, but unlike others, they do so quietly, without seeking publicity.
On the matter of Next Cash and Carry, Obienyem clarified that Mr Obi had no stake in the business. “But if they were being logical,” he added, “they would have accused him of not offloading his containers at Nkwo Agulu during his active years in business.”
He also addressed the mention of Mr Gabriel Obienyem—his namesake and one of the signatories of the statement—saying their inclusion only revealed the group’s bitterness. “These are simply disgruntled individuals who believe Mr Obi failed to grant their selfish requests,” he said.
Responding to their demand that Mr Obi should abandon his nationwide support for institutions in favour of prioritising only Agulu, Mr Obienyem described such a mindset and advice for a national figure such as Obi as narrow, selfish, and incestuous. He added that this kind of thinking proves that those making such demands are “unfit to live in a civilised society.”
Obienyem said that each of those who signed the petition harboured a personal grievance rooted in unfulfilled expectations. “I once confronted Agajelu over his constant attacks on Obi,” he recounted, “and he told me plainly that Obi didn’t give his wife a job. However, investigations revealed that both he and his wife indirectly secured jobs through Obi’s influence. So you see—the issue isn’t that Obi does not help people, but that he didn’t help them in the exact way they wanted—such as handing them millions. That’s their mindset. So-called educated people, thinking and acting like political thugs.”
Concluding, Obienyem recalled that some of those now propagating hatred and seeking to sow division in the community had, in the past, appropriated for personal use some of the over 30 buses and tricycles (kekenapeps) that Mr Obi had provided for the empowerment of his people.