Bashir Ahmad, a former media aide to the late President Muhammadu Buhari, has said Peter Obi asked him to support his political ambition.
Ahmad, who is a staunch critic of Obi on social media, made the disclosure after sharing photos of himself and the Labour Party presidential candidate in Daura, Katsina State.
Obi had paid a condolence visit to Daura following Buhari’s death. The former president was buried a day earlier.
During the visit, Obi reportedly ran into Ahmad at the late president’s residence. The two briefly interacted and later posed for a photo together.
That photo would soon draw heated reactions from many of Obi’s online supporters, especially on X (formerly Twitter).
“Obi Said He Admired My Loyalty to Buhari”
Ahmad addressed the backlash with a personal post titled “My Meeting with @PeterObi in Daura.”
He wrote, “When I arrived at Baba’s residence this morning, many dignitaries were already seated at the place reserved for the prayer session. I first went to greet Mallam Mamman Daura, then moved on to greet Atiku Abubakar, who was sitting beside him. Next was Mallam Nasir el-Rufai and then Mr. Peter Obi, who was sitting on the same chair with Mallam.”
He added, “Interestingly, Mr. Obi told me something I recently posted on Twitter. I smiled and continued down the row to greet others.”
Ahmad continued: “Moments later, @YunusaTanko didn’t realize I had already greeted his boss, so he pointed me out again. I moved closer, and Mr. Obi again offered his condolences on Baba’s passing and told me he admired my loyalty to Baba even after leaving the office.”
“Obi Told Me to Support Him”
Ahmad stated that politics wasn’t discussed at first, but Obi later made a light-hearted pitch.
“There was no talk of politics or pictures until much later, when he was about to leave. Coincidentally, I had stepped outside to receive other visitors. We stood for a few moments. In a lighthearted tone, Mr. Obi said I should come and support him and he also mentioned how he had seen vast land for agriculture on the road coming to Daura.”
According to Ahmad, the reactions from “Obidients” were more hostile than anything he received from members of his own party.
“To my surprise, when I posted our pictures, his supporters, the so-called ‘Obidients,’ as usual, launched the attacks on me. Frankly, I had expected the criticism to come from within my party for taking pictures with an opposition leader. Good that my party members understand the situation and we don’t politicize everything.”
He clarified that Obi came to Daura to honour Buhari’s legacy and not for politics.
“I would like to even make it clear that I didn’t visit Peter Obi, he came to us and he did so out of respect for President Buhari, and there was nothing political about our brief exchange, it was purely a humane, respectful moment during a time of mourning.”
In a strong critique of Obi’s supporters, Ahmad concluded: “With such supporters who are only experts in bullying, gatekeeping and intolerance, it is hard for Mr. Obi to build the broad coalition necessary for him to become President. His supporters are simply not enough on their own to make him President and worse still, they attack, block and harass those who might otherwise be willing to help him do so.”
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