The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has hit back at Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, over his recent statement that President Bola Tinubu’s administration harbours more ‘Yahoo boys’ than those being apprehended for financial crimes.
Obi made the statement during his keynote address at the fourth graduation ceremony of Nexford University, where he said Nigeria was at the mercy of corrupt officials benefiting from the system.
His comments instantly sparked controversy, with the APC accusing him of reckless opposition politics.
In a recent interview with Saturday PUNCH, APC’s National Publicity Director, Bala Ibrahim, did not economize words. He described Obi’s comments as “wild and unsubstantiated allegations” and argued that such statements diminish the credibility of the opposition.
Ibrahim said: “You cannot just make wild allegations or accusations without substantiation. If you say there is ‘Yahoo Yahoo’ in government, let him point to specific acts that prove that claim.
“Opposition is supposed to checkmate government policies constructively. But when the opposition becomes reckless and clueless in their accusations, they lose sight of their purpose. The reason you find yourself in the opposition is because you either failed to prepare or you did not prepare to win.”
Obi has frequently criticized the ruling party. However, his latest remarks appear to have hit differently, drawing sharp condemnation from APC loyalists who argue that criticism should be fact-based rather than inflammatory.
