2023 Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, has said the report on social media linking him with the Association for Better Nigeria (ABN), is the handiwork of hired mercenaries out to dent his image and demarket him.

Obi in a statement issued by the spokesman of Peter Obi Media Reach (POMR), Ibrahim Umar, recalled that a similar publication appeared in June 2023.

Obi who said he was never directly or indirectly involved in the activities of the June 12 struggle noted that the author who was not bold enough to put his name, was afraid of his rising political profile.

“While he supported and voted for the late MKO Abiola in 1993, soon after the election, he relocated to the United Kingdom with his family, where he ran a decent, successful business that received encouragement and support from credible finance institutions all over the world because of the integrity and reputation put in it,” the statement said.

It added that as of 1993, Obi was not a politician, “but he admired and voted for Abiola through the late former Senate President  Chuba Okadigbo, with whom he was his fan and admirer.

“Even while at the university in Nsukka, Obi was not into politics as he was more associated as a student entrepreneur.”

Obi said before becoming governor he never worked or held any government position, and never worked in the Nigeria Ports Authority.

According to the statement, the closest Obi came to late General Sani Abacha’s government was when his petition on port congestion attracted Abacha’s attention and he co-opted him into an advocate committee for port de-congestion that lasted less than four months.

“Whatever status Obi is enjoying today within and outside the country is due to the high integrity he brought into what he does, whether in business or politics.

“After eight years of outstanding governance to the people of Anambra State, providing basic infrastructure to the people, clearing inherited pension and salary arrears of over N35 billion, Obi stood out as good governance model,” the statement added.

It noted that Obi’s outstanding performance and transparency in the deployment of public funds earned him the Governor of the Decade.

“This is the man some hirelings are making fruitless efforts to dent by cooking up lies against him including saying that he was against June 12 when he was not even resident in Nigeria during the June 12 imbroglio,” POMR stated.