Former presidential candidate Peter Obi has responded to Nollywood actor and Labour Party stalwart Kenneth Okonkwo, who recently described Obi’s supporters — popularly known as Obidients — as “low-class” and “street urchins.”
Okonkwo, speaking during an interview with SYMFONI, had criticized Obi’s style of leadership, accusing him of relying on “street urchins” as followers and of failing to publicly address alleged falsehoods spread by some of his supporters.
“How is it that people are lying with Peter Obi’s name and he would not react to it, would not call them to order publicly?” Okonkwo asked. “Why has Peter Obi not debunked that useless lie that somebody is lying with his name? It shows a leader who can’t even defend the truth or defend people who have worked for him.”
In a strongly worded statement, Obi dismissed the characterization of his supporters as “urchins” and reaffirmed his belief in the dignity and worth of every Nigerian, regardless of their social or economic status.
“I have never and will never look down on anyone except to lift them up. After all, we can only rise by lifting others,” the former Anambra State governor said.
Obi emphasized that his political mission has never been about aligning with the elite or “so-called high and mighty,” but about standing with ordinary Nigerians — people he said have been neglected and impoverished by corrupt leadership.
“My involvement in politics has never been about associating with the so-called high and mighty, but about standing with the ordinary Nigerians whose voices have been silenced and whose resources have been stolen by the same ‘big names’ who now parade themselves with all sorts of titles and names,” he said.
“No Nigerian is of no value. No Nigerian is a street urchin. It speaks volumes about the state of our nation that everyday Nigerians are now battered by poverty and hardship, to the point their leaders refer to them as of no value and urchins,” Obi added.
He reiterated his commitment to policies that uplift citizens, stressing that every Nigerian deserves “dignity, opportunity, and care.”
“That is why I will continue to do my part to ensure that ordinary Nigerians enjoy a better life, one built on access to education, quality healthcare, and genuine efforts to lift them out of poverty,” Obi said. “True leadership is not about mocking the weak; it is about lifting them up.”
