Labour Party National Leader and former Anambra State governor, Mr. Peter Obi, has dismissed as false claims that he refused to assist ex-Super Eagles captain, Nwankwo Kanu, during his heart surgery.
Obi, in a statement issued by his media adviser, Valentine Obienyem, said the allegation made by John Ikeotuonye on the True Talk Podcast was malicious and a product of religious and political bigotry, which he described as “the most lethal enemies of Nigeria.”
He recalled that Kanu’s surgery took place in 1996, long before he became governor, stressing that Inter Milan, the footballer’s club at the time, paid all hospital bills.
“It was public knowledge that Inter Milan footed the bills. So, how could anyone with a shred of decency fabricate such lies?” Obi queried.
Citing several interventions in sports, Obi said that during his tenure he donated a bus to Enugu Rangers, instituted monthly stipends for players, and personally assisted many ex-internationals. He also recalled visiting former Super Eagles winger Tijani Babangida after his accident last year and building a house for the family of a late Rangers star.
On the allegation that he appointed only Catholics into his cabinet, Obi described it as a deliberate falsehood. He provided statistics showing that the majority of his appointees and judicial officers were Anglicans.
He further denied claims that he was the highest shareholder in Interfact Breweries, explaining that before the company’s establishment in Anambra, he already had a partnership with them. According to him, the Anambra State Government was the largest shareholder, and the investment created jobs, paid dividends, and boosted local businesses.
Obi regretted that his successor allowed the company’s planned expansion to move to Ogun State, where, he said, the governor praised his role in attracting the multinational investor to Nigeria.
“Twisting such a positive legacy into a smear campaign is the height of desperation and wickedness,” Obi stated.
He also mocked Ikeotuonye’s claims that President Bola Tinubu had cleared most of Nigeria’s debts and reduced medical tourism and kidnapping, describing such assertions as “pathetic, laughable, and insulting to Nigerians’ intelligence.”
