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Amid the controversy generated by Peter Obi’s appearance at an Ikorodu City FC home game over the weekend, a director of the Lagos-based club has defended its decision to pull down a post about the presidential candidate earlier shared on its X page.
Defending the decision in an X post, Ikorodu City FC director and photojournalist, Olawale Quadri, described Obi’s appearance as a “political move”, saying the club took the decision to delete the post to stay out of politics.
The deleted post:
He made this known on Monday after an X user and football fan, @musbauceo condemned the club’s decision, saying Obi’s candidature should not prevent him from watching any game.
The fan said, “So, he (Obi) can’t watch the league cos he’s contesting?
“Mind you, I’m not Peter Obi’s fan and was not even moved despite (being) seated just 3 chairs from him but what your team did was totally wrong.
“We have been advocating for people to support the league and we lost a chance yesterday.”
Responding, Quadri said, “Did we stop him from watching the match?
“We dissociated ourselves from politics by pulling down the tweet.
“It was a political move by Peter Obi and as (a) club based in Lagos we have to be very careful because of the sensitivity around the political fabrics of Nigeria.”
The controversy arose from Sunday’s Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) Matchday 6 fixture at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan, Lagos, where Ikorodu City FC defeated defending champions Enugu Rangers 2-0.
The presidential candidate of Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, was in attendance and watched the game from the stands alongside Ikorodu City FC President, Sanmi Doherty.
Obi also shared an X post saying he was accompanied by Ladipo Johnson, the NDC candidate for Lagos Central senatorial district, and Aisha Jimoh, the NDC candidate for the House of Representatives, Lagos Island Constituency II.
Videos from the match showed fans approaching Obi for photographs during the half-time break, with the former Anambra governor also pictured posing with Rangers players.
Ikorodu City initially posted a photo welcoming Obi to the stadium on its official X account but later deleted the post, a move that sparked backlash online with many fans accusing the club of bowing to political pressure.
