Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has lashed out at Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, accusing him of lacking the moral authority to speak on poverty issues in Nigeria.

In a statement personally signed and titled “Factually Addressing Mr. Peter Obi’s Criticism of Nigeria at Johns Hopkins University,” Sanwo-Olu faulted Obi’s remarks during a lecture at Johns Hopkins University where the former Anambra governor compared Nigeria’s poverty situation with that of China and Vietnam, blaming leadership failures for Nigeria’s decline.

Sanwo-Olu condemned Obi’s comments as unpatriotic and alleged that Obi’s tenure as Anambra State governor worsened poverty levels. Citing statistics, Sanwo-Olu stated that the poverty rate in Anambra rose from 41.4% to 53.7% during Obi’s administration, and only improved significantly after he left office under his successor, Willie Obiano.

He further contrasted Obi’s record with President Bola Tinubu’s achievements, noting Tinubu’s efforts in education, healthcare, and access to credit during his time as Lagos governor and now as President of Nigeria.

Sanwo-Olu argued that true patriotism demands promoting Nigeria positively abroad and accused Obi of “de-marketing” the country for political gain.