Obi’s Scrutiny Challenge Should Apply to Other Candidates

The Peter Obi Media Office (POMR), through its spokesperson, last Wednesday, criticised what it described as double standards in the scrutiny of presidential candidates ahead of the 2027 general election, alleging that Peter Obi is subjected to intense examination while the records of other political figures are treated with leniency.

Spokesman of the office, Idris Zekeri Jnr, said in a statement that the media office welcomed scrutiny of its principal but insisted that every presidential candidate must be assessed using the same rigorous standards.

There are so many reasons why the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Party (NDC), Obi, has continued to endear himself to the hearts of many Nigerians. One of them is his transparency.

At every opportunity, Obi does not always fail to challenge Nigerians to scrutinize him, demanding that should they see anything negative about, they should not fail to make it public.

Speaking in Port Harcourt recently, the NDC presidential candidate challenged Nigerians to scrutinise his background and publicly identify any wrongdoing he may have committed.

Last week, he again asked the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) to release his academic records upon “legitimate request”. 

A former National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party (LP), Abayomi Arabambi, had sued the UNN, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and the West African Examination Council (WAEC) over their alleged refusal to release Obi’s credentials.

But Obi said he had no objection to the release of his academic records for public examination. The former governor also directed other institutions he attended both within and outside Nigeria to release his records in “accordance with applicable laws and procedures”, noting that he believes in transparency and accountability, particularly for those seeking public office.

However, his media office alleged that other political figures described as traditional or establishment candidates were often assessed through the lens of political realism, with past scandals, policy failures, corruption allegations and transparency concerns explained as political compromises.

Therefore, while Obi’s past decisions and allegations against him were being subjected to intense scrutiny, the records of other political figures should receive equal scrutiny.