Human rights activist and social commentator Aisha Yesufu has faulted a recent television interview granted by NDC Party presidential candidate Peter Obi to Channels TV’s Seun Okinbaloye, describing it as a recycling of old questions that offered nothing new to the public discourse.
In a statement issued on Monday, Yesufu said she watched the interview aired on Sunday at 8 p.m. with growing frustration, adding that the session failed to break new ground despite the high expectations that usually trail Obi’s media appearances.
“_I just feel irritated by the whole thing. Usually, when Peter Obi does his interviews, there’s that excitement to see what he’s saying, what is being said. But for this particular one, and I think maybe going forward, I’m going to have the same feeling. It’s just a feeling of irritation,_” Yesufu stated.
She explained that after going through the interview, she could not identify any question or response that had not been addressed in previous engagements. According to her, the conversation followed a familiar pattern that has become predictable to both supporters and critics of the former Anambra governor.
“_I don’t think there’s any question that Seun asked Peter Obi that has not already been asked. I don’t think there’s any question that we have not talked about. There wasn’t anything new. Because I tried to go through, usually for those of you who are used to my channel and the way I report this, I would have picked up one or two things from inside of it and then be able to sit down and discuss it. I’m going through. I’m not seeing any question that is new, that we’ve not heard, or that we don’t know the answer to,_” she said.
Yesufu expressed concern that the media and public continue to place disproportionate pressure on Obi to account for his positions on insecurity, the economy and governance, while other political figures, including those currently in power, are not subjected to similar scrutiny.
She specifically referenced President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, arguing that the President is largely absent from rigorous media engagements yet escapes the level of questioning directed at Obi.
“_You’re looking at someone like Mr Bola Tinubu, the former governor of Lagos State, who rigged the election and got himself sworn in. Nobody is asking him tough questions. He’s not in front of the camera. He’s not being judged. He’s going about freely, doing his own business. And yet, the one person who cares, who has been out there, who is speaking to the people, is the one that more and more is needed from him,_” she said.
A significant portion of Yesufu’s reaction focused on recurring allegations about Obi’s record as governor of Anambra State. She addressed claims that Obi ran an administration dominated by Muslims, and dismissed the narrative as a deliberate misrepresentation.
According to her, Obi had repeatedly clarified that when he referenced commissioners from the north, he was speaking about Commissioners of Police, not political appointees in the state executive council.
“_I saw Bayo and a lot of APC talks, talking about the father. Oh, he said that all his commissioners are Muslims. Oh, they were Muslims when he was governor of Anambra State. Of course, how are all his commissioners going to be Muslim in a state that is maybe 90-something percent Christians? He was referring to his police commissioners,_” she stated.
She further noted that Obi had explained that apart from the first few months of his administration, all his Commissioners of Police were from the north and were Muslims, which she said contradicts the claim that he drove northerners away from the state.
“_How is he going to be driving away northerners with them there, doing that whole process? And he has consistently said it’s not from his place that people were giving ID cards and all of that,_” Yesufu added.
Beyond the interview itself, Yesufu used the opportunity to call on Nigerians to redirect their energy toward what she described as the more urgent task of ensuring a change in leadership in 2027. She argued that endless debates and recycled interviews distract from the core objective of getting competent leadership into office.
“_Can we focus on the main issue of ensuring that we get this person into office and then we hold him accountable? Here in Nigeria, I don’t think there’s anything about Peter Obi you need to know that you’ve not heard already. Can we focus on the main issue of ensuring that we get this person into office and then we hold him accountable?_” she asked.
The activist described the current national mood as one of self-sabotage, comparing it to people in an abusive relationship who reject exits when they appear. She recounted a recent conversation in Milton Keynes with a Nigerian who expressed doubts about Obi’s genuineness, and said such skepticism plays into the hands of those benefiting from the status quo.
“_When he gets in there, we’ll find out how genuine. If all of these things are a lie, he’s not genuine. What does it take? Take him out again. The reason why Nigerians have not been able to be the ones to put someone in a brick is because we do not take responsibility. And then when we see something, we begin to make, let it not be, let it not be. We dilly-dally on top of it until everything is squandered,_” she said.
Yesufu insisted that the immediate priority should not be endless vetting of Obi, but rather mobilization to ensure he is elected, declared winner and sworn into office. She maintained that accountability can follow once leadership is in place.
“_The focus of all of us right now should be how do we not only ensure that Mr Peter Obi gets into office, but also ensure that he is voted in, he is declared winner and he is sworn into office. These are the things that Nigerians should focus on at the end of the day,_” she stated.
She also warned that Nigeria is at a critical point and cannot afford to waste time on repetitive debates while the country faces serious challenges. According to her, the nation is “breaking away” and “being destroyed in front of us,” and citizens must act decisively.
“_The nation is being destroyed in front of us. Things are so bad. These are things we should be focused on. We do a lot of things that we sabotage, we’re so good at self-sabotaging and then the remaining of it, we sit down and begin like, oh, we are the ones who are suffering the most,_” she said.
Yesufu concluded with a stark warning about the consequences of inaction, saying Nigeria has the capacity to affect everyone regardless of status or location.
“_Nigeria has capacity to deal with everybody. Nigeria does not care. It will deal with you. If you sit down and think that this is a joke, election year is a joke. If you want, we’ll get to work. If you don’t want to get to work, we want the suffering to continue,_” she said.
She urged citizens to learn from other countries where people secured good governance by making deliberate choices at the polls, rather than dwelling on complaints after the fact.
“_The people that are enjoying in other parts of the world, they are not better than you are. The only thing that they did was to ensure that they get good people into government and that’s what you must also sit down and do right now,_” Yesufu concluded.
Report By: NEWS CENTURY TV
