Stop Demarketing Nigeria, PDP Chieftain Tells Peter Obi

A prominent member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Segun Sowunmi, has called on former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to desist from making negative remarks about Nigeria, particularly on international platforms.

Sowunmi’s remarks followed a recent post by Obi on X (formerly Twitter), in which the former Anambra State governor compared Nigeria’s economic trajectory to that of China, Indonesia, and Vietnam during a lecture at Johns Hopkins University, United States.

Obi had highlighted that in 1990, all four countries were ranked similarly in the Human Development Index (HDI). While China, Indonesia, and Vietnam have since advanced into the high HDI category by 2025, Nigeria, he noted, had slipped into the low category.

Reacting to Obi’s analysis, Sowunmi criticised the comparison, arguing that it failed to account for the complexities of Nigeria’s economic structure.

“With due respect @PeterObi, these measurements are faulty,” Sowunmi wrote on X. “They are extremely skewed. Those who compile such figures have no means of measuring Nigeria’s vast informal sector.”

He further warned that such comparisons could harm the country’s image. “You need to stop this, especially at international forums,” Sowunmi said. “You ought to place the burden on those pushing crazy neoliberal policies and deep-state manipulations that pressure Africa.”

Sowunmi concluded by stating that anyone aspiring to lead Nigeria must avoid disparaging the same nation they seek to govern.

“No one who wishes to lead Nigeria should be its most vocal critic abroad. Stop it immediately,” he said.