Former Abia State governor and serving senator, Orji Uzor Kalu, has dismissed Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, as his political leader, insisting he remains the most influential politician from Nigeria’s Southeast.
Speaking on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme aired on Wednesday, Kalu threw a direct challenge to Obi, urging the former Anambra governor to join him in a live debate to test their political relevance in the region.
“Peter is not my leader. I am the most important politician from that zone. I have won two states before under the PPA. I have contested for president. My 4.9 million votes from 2007 are still there,” Kalu asserted.
The former governor, who once led the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA), said his past political achievements and national influence speak for themselves, recalling his party’s role in securing key federal appointments under the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s administration.
“We had ministers, ambassadors, and several appointments under President Yar’Adua,” he added. “Arrange for a meeting between me and Peter Obi in your studio—let’s talk face to face.”
Meanwhile, Peter Obi, in a separate statement on Monday, decried the growing trend of certificate forgery among public officials, warning that it poses a grave threat to Nigeria’s moral fabric.
He called for urgent reforms and prosecution of any government official found guilty of falsifying academic records, saying integrity should be non-negotiable in public service.
Obi’s comments followed reports that the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) had disowned a Bachelor of Science degree claimed by the Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, Uche Nnaji, stating that he never completed his studies or obtained a valid certificate from the institution.
Court documents cited in investigative reports also indicated that Nnaji himself had admitted the degree was not issued by UNN.
According to Obi, the scandal highlights a deeper erosion of ethics within the nation’s leadership. “It is tragic that those expected to model integrity have become symbols of moral decay,” he said.
