Lere Olayinka, Media Aide to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, has alleged that Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, shared money with delegates while he was still seeking the presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party in 2022.
Speaking during an appearance on AIT News, Olayinka challenged Obi’s public statements on campaign spending, saying the former Anambra governor had distributed cash to delegates during his time in the PDP.
“Let's not come on TV or whatever and begin to deceive ourselves or deceive people. I've heard the candidate of NDC, Peter Obi, say he does not spend shishi. It is a lie. I was a delegate in Ekiti when Obi was in PDP before going to Labour Party. He came to Ekiti and he dropped money for delegates. And from the money he dropped, I got my own money. And that was in 2022,” Olayinka said.
The aide, who described himself as a delegate in Ekiti at the time, said the distribution happened before Obi exited the PDP for the Labour Party ahead of the 2023 general elections.
Beyond the specific allegation, Olayinka also made a wider argument about money in politics. He contended that financial inducements during political processes are not peculiar to Nigeria.
According to him, politics everywhere involves significant financial outlay and should be viewed as a form of business. He cited election campaigns in countries such as the United States as examples where huge sums are spent to mobilize support and run campaigns.
“Politics is a business and should be treated as one,” he insisted, adding that it was unrealistic to expect political contests at the presidential level to be conducted without substantial funding.
Obi, who left the PDP in May 2022, went on to become the Labour Party presidential candidate and finished third in the February 2023 election. He has repeatedly presented himself as a candidate who ran a frugal campaign and who would not engage in vote-buying or inducement of delegates.
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