Hundreds of protesters on Saturday in Owerri booed former Anambra governor, Mr. Peter Obi, for inviting and hosting Mallam Nasir El Rufai to Igboland.
Both opposition leaders were in Owerri to attend the Odenigbo Lecture Series organized by the Catholic Archdiocese of Owerri.
El Rufai, a former Kaduna State governor, arrived in Imo State on Friday and was hosted by the traditional ruler of Nekede, Eze Agumanu.
While his presence at Nekede didn’t raise any dust, his attendance at a Christian event in the company of Peter Obi drew the ire of the people.
Chanting war songs, the protesters, including men, women, and youths, berated Peter Obi for bringing an “enemy and murderer” into Igboland.
They described El Rufai as an unrepentant hater of Ndigbo and Christians, saying his eight years in Kaduna led to the death of many innocent Christians.
Some of their placards read, “Stop deceiving us, Peter Obi,” “El Rufai is an enemy,” and “We don’t want you in Imo State.”
It took heavy security to restrain some of the protesters from physically barring Obi and El Rufai from gaining entrance to the Assumpta Cathedral, venue of the lecture series.
A youth who gave his name as Benjamin Njoku expressed disappointment that Peter Obi could associate himself with someone who openly hates Ndigbo and conspired against them in national politics.
“My respect for Obi has evaporated today. By identifying with an enemy of Ndigbo, he has also made himself an enemy,” he declared.
According to him, “Listen to what they are calling Obi today. They call him a deceiver who, because of political desperation, has become a political harlot.”
Njoku said Ndigbo will never take Obi seriously again after his open relationship with El Rufai, saying it was a direct sabotage against Igboland.
