Peter Obi Accused of Falsehood Over Claims About Scrapping Office of First Lady In Anambra

 

A Nigerian social media user has accused Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, of dishonesty regarding his past governance decisions as Anambra State governor specifically his claim that he abolished the Office of the First Lady.

The accusation, made by user @abdullahayofel on platform X (formerly Twitter), challenges Obi’s long-standing assertion that he scrapped the office to reduce government expenditure. In a resurfaced video, Obi is seen explaining that the First Lady’s office received more funding than some ministries and that, since his wife was unelected, she should not wield executive influence.

“The Office of the First Lady was getting more money than some ministries. I shut it down because nobody voted for my wife—it’s me they voted for. She’s my wife, and I love her, but both of us live in the house, and I’m the elected governor,” Obi said in the video.

 

However, @abdullahayofel countered the narrative, labeling Obi “419” a slang term for fraudand claimed that the First Lady’s office existed during his administration.

“It’s clear now to everyone that this man is 419. You had an Office of the First Lady during your tenure in Anambra,” he wrote.

 

X’s Community Notes, a crowd-sourced fact-checking feature, added to the conversation by indicating that Peter Obi’s wife, Margaret Obi, did operate in a First Lady capacity, including organizing public events and initiatives during his time in office.

The post triggered a heated online debate, with some users defending Obi and others accusing him of manipulating public perception.

Public Reactions:

• @Rotleo3819: “He was just telling them what they wanted to hear. Obi, the god of lamba.”

• @Osikhena2014: “Focus on your failed government. Obi didn’t come first, yet you people can’t stop talking about him. He’s clearly a threat.”

• @idemeko64612: “This is a lie, Ayofe. There was no formal Office of the First Lady in Anambra under Obi. Don’t distort history for politics.”

• @dr90ng: “I see many gullible folks in this video—reminds me of those sketchy financial seminars.”

• @medoro6911: “Obi talks smooth like Goodluck Jonathan. We all saw how that ended.”