Human rights activist and lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, has alleged that Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, attempted to offer him money during a private meeting in the build-up to the polls.

Adeyanju made the disclosure during a live interview on Channels Television on Friday while reacting to Obi’s threat to sue him for defamation.

He said: “Yes, so in the wake up to the 2023 general election, because I’m not political, I’m just expressing my thoughts about why the opposition should come together and unite against the criminal APC and roguish APC government that always rig elections, that if the opposition is divided, there’s no way they can win. …Click link to watch the video  here

I was just expressing my political thoughts and views. The idea of Obi’s candidacy excited me, and I said that he needed the buy-in of Atiku and Kwankwaso. …Click video link here

“I even urged Kwankwaso to deputise Obi. I urged Atiku to step down for Peter Obi, you know, and all that. So in the process of that analysis, just expressing my views, I also said the fact that Atiku has been running for president in perpetuity, that he cannot continue to run. I was just expressing my views as a Nigerian. So then Peter Obi all of a sudden started trying to reach out to me, to meet me.

“But at that time I was out of the country, I think I was in Dubai or somewhere. But he was persistently reaching out to me and I was avoiding him. But I didn’t want to see him because I didn’t want it to look like, oh, because I’ve expressed my views, which seems to be like almost in his favor, he now wants to see me and corner me to be one of his supporters. I don’t want to support any politician because I’m not partisan. Because some people are already resigning from activism and joining him.”

Adeyanju narrated further that when he eventually met Obi, the conversation turned bitter after questions on past corruption allegations and investments in family businesses.

“You know, so I didn’t want to join his bandwagon, but I was excited by the idea of Peter Obi because of course, South East have not produced a president in a very long time except after post-independence anyway. So I was excited. So subsequently I made some further views and this time around he was more persistent. So one of his aide, a journalist, reached out to me. So we subsequently met.

“And I said yes. He first recommended me for some of my views and all that and said that it should be exciting to work together. I said I’m not working with anybody. So I now made some observations about the things that he has been accused of doing in the past. Corruption. Sarah reported the story where his staff was caught with money. He tried to explain it but I was not satisfied. Then I also raised the issue about these issues of him using state resources in Anambra to invest in his family business. His explanation to me in his defense was that he had resigned from the company before he became a governor. I was flabbergasted. I couldn’t just wait to get up to leave the place. I’m like, how can a man that wants to be president of Nigeria not see the clear abuse? You understand that he has abused his office to do such a thing.

“He was justifying it. He didn’t see anything wrong in it. I was completely disgusted. So eventually I didn’t want to disrespect him so I wanted to leave. And then he got into, because we were like in the living room, it’s like a suite. Then he got into a room and said, oh please he’s coming. That he wants to go inside the room and he has something for me. So he brought one envelope or something like that. And said no, this is just a small thing. It’s just for coming blah blah blah.

“I said that means you don’t know me. I said that you are friends with Mimiko, former governor Mimiko and others. They are people that I was close to. Ask them about me. If we do anything because of conviction, it’s even me that will bring out of my money and support you. You know, so you can’t be insisting that it’s not like that. It’s not what I’m thinking. I said, God forbid, I left. So, however, I never revealed what happened to anyone.”

The latest outburst comes after Obi, through his lawyer Alex Ejesieme (SAN), served a letter of demand on Adeyanju over what he described as repeated defamatory publications. Obi’s legal team accused the activist of persistently posting false and malicious statements on X, Facebook, and other platforms aimed at portraying him as corrupt, fraudulent, and intolerant.

-Source: Politics Nigeria