Peter Obi vs Sowore: War of words between “blackmailer-in-chief” and “Money Launderer-in-chief”

Peter Obi vs Sowore: War of words between “blackmailer-in-chief” and “Money Launderer-in-chief”

Peter Obi and Omoyele Sowore, both candidates in Nigeria’s 2023 presidential election, engaged in a heated exchange on X, trading veiled insults without directly mentioning each other’s names.

The verbal clash began when Obi, responding to a report published by Sahara Reporters, criticized Sowore—who is the platform’s publisher—calling him a “blackmailer” and a “self-proclaimed ‘blackmailer-in-chief.”

The report had alleged that Obi’s recent meeting with President Bola Tinubu in Rome was an attempt to appeal to the president on behalf of Fidelity Bank, a financial institution Obi previously led.

Obi and Tinubu happened to cross paths at a Vatican event honoring Pope Leo XIV, and their encounter has since sparked speculation and debate.

In his post on X, Obi denied seeking a meeting with Mr Tinubu to discuss Fidelity Bank. The former Anambra State governor said the only time he encountered the president was in a brief moment during the inauguration mass of Pope Leo XIV at Saint Peter’s Basilica.

“One such individual, whose entire life revolves around blackmail, falsely claimed that I went to Rome to have a private meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu regarding a purported ₦225 billion debt crisis involving Fidelity Bank. These claims are not only baseless, malicious, but entirely false,” Obi wrote.

“Let me categorically state that I have never sought an audience with, nor met, President Tinubu since he assumed office, except about 1 minute meeting at the arena of Saint Peter’s Basilica Rome during the inauguration Mass of Pope Leo XIV, where I was seated behind, and had to respectfully greet him, and other dignitaries present,” he added.

In his response about two hours later,  Sowore described Mr Obi as a “Money Launderer-In-Chief” in reference to a story that showed that  Obi violated Nigerian laws in his business dealings as the owner of NEXT.

The revelation was part of the Pandora Papers, a global collaboration between investigative newsrooms and journalists.

Obi was one of the few Nigerians indicted in the Pandora Papers reporting.

“I heard the “Money Launderer-In-Chief” at Pandora Papers and packaged fraud has fabricated another story this morning about the reason his elder brothers bounced him during his ill-fated visit to Rome,” Sowore wrote.

Obi was the candidate of the Labour Party during the 2023 presidential election while Mr Sowore ran under the platform of the African Action Congress (AAC).

As one of the 18 candidates on the ballot in the 2023 election, Sowore finished the race in 16th place with only 14,608 votes, less than half of the 33,953 votes he scored when he contested in 2019.

Peter Obi won over 6.1 million votes in the last presidential election, finishing third behind the winner, Bola Tinubu, and Atiku Abubakar, Nigeria’s perennial opposition candidate.

While Obi was a member of Nigeria’s former ruling party, now opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party, Mr Sowore has been on a different platform with the Nigerian political establishment since the current democratic dispensation.

The duo campaign against corruption, advocate for inclusion of young people in government, and their political campaigns have been driven by a multitude of online followers. In the last election, Mr Obi got endorsements from well-known figures including former president Olusegun Obasanjo, author Chimamanda Adichie, singer Peter PSquare, actress Kate Henshaw and several others.

While Sowore stood against the idea of forming alliance with major Nigerian politicians, Mr Obi is believed to be in talks with other major opposition political parties ahead of the 2027 election.

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