By: Mandy Park
Valentine Obienyem, Media Adviser to Mr. Peter Obi, has responded to Dr. Josef Umunnakwe Onoh’s attack on Obi’s political integrity and one-term vow, calling his comments “morally hollow” and “politically opportunistic.”
In a widely circulated statement published in newspapers and on social media platforms, Onoh accused Obi of reneging on a promise to the late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu. Obienyem dismissed this as both “distasteful and desperate,” and challenged him to name those promises Obi reneged on.
“It is unbefitting for Dr. Onoh to drag Ojukwu’s name into cheap political commentary,” Obienyem said. “Mr. Obi treated Ojukwu with deep affection, visiting him over ten times in a UK hospital. Upon Ojukwu’s death, Obi, who had just returned from visiting him and was at the Abuja airport, immediately switched on his phone. Looking pale and sullen, he showed me a message from Ojukwu’s wife, which read: ‘Thank you very much. You have tried your best. He is gone. I am in pains.’ Obi had to take the next available flight to Lagos and returned to London that same morning on Virgin Atlantic, where he managed to secure an economy ticket. He did this out of profound respect for Ojukwu. To the best of my knowledge, Mr. Onoh did not even make a phone call, let alone visit once to see his brother-in-law or his sister, who tended to him with deep affection.”
“Even in death, Mr. Obi’s reverence for Ojukwu was unmistakable,” Obienyem recalled. “The burial accorded Ojukwu, organised under Obi’s leadership, remains one of the best in history. While funerals should not ordinarily be used as political yardsticks, the scale, solemnity, and dignity of that ceremony reflected the depth of respect Obi had for him. He condemned what he called ‘the reckless invocation of revered Igbo names like Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe and Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu by political opportunists desperate for visibility and favour.’”
“I sincerely doubt,” he added, “if others from other parts of the country would take in vain the name of their dead prominent people in such a disrespectful manner. Why then do some Igbo politicians degrade their own icons this way?” Obienyem asked pointedly.
Turning to Onoh’s own record, Obienyem stated: “This is a man who has been dogged by allegations of academic forgery, ranging from a questionable WAEC certificate to disputed NYSC and university credentials.” He also criticised Onoh’s political inconsistency, describing it as rooted in “stomach infrastructure rather than principle.”
“Here is someone who vigorously defended Tinubu in 2023,” Obienyem noted, “only to turn against the same administration after failing to secure an appointment. Now, with elections approaching, he is once again signalling his readiness to be used – even against his own people.” He further described Onoh’s public utterances as “abrasive, self-serving, immature, and driven more by ambition than reason.”
Reaffirming Mr. Peter Obi’s one-term vow, Valentine Obienyem stated: “Mr. Obi’s commitment reflects a deep sense of responsible leadership and moral clarity. For someone like Josef Onoh, dogged by controversy and demonstrably lacking a moral compass, to question that vow is both ironic and offensive.”
Obienyem went further to challenge Onoh: “Let him name one promise Obi made and failed to keep. Obi’s record speaks for itself.” He also dismissed arguments against single-term leadership, asserting that the framers of Nigeria’s Constitution were not naïve in prescribing a renewable four-year term. “Their intent was clear – and within that constitutional framework, a leader still has every moral right to voluntarily commit to serving only one term, especially to achieve noble end such as respect for equity as represented by zoning.”
He concluded with a rebuke: “In a sane society, character matters. Before one throws stones, they must ensure the platform beneath them is not riddled with rot. Dr. Josef Onoh lacks the moral standing to speak on Mr. Obi – or on any matter requiring sober reflection.”
