A former presidential aide and ambassador-designate, Reno Omokri, has accused Peter Obi, a prominent figure in the African Democratic Congress, of being desperate to become Nigeria’s president at all costs.
Omokri alleged that Obi has been exploiting recent fire outbreaks in various parts of the country to criticise the Federal Government while allegedly remaining silent over similar tragedies in the South-East.
Writing on X, Omokri claimed that Obi frequently highlights fire incidents occurring outside the Igbo-speaking region but fails to publicly acknowledge comparable disasters within his home area.
He cited two fire incidents in Anambra State — one at Trano Rentals Hotel in Isuaniocha, Awka North, on January 1, and another during a Christmas carnival in Umuchu, Aguata Local Government Area, on December 30, 2025, which reportedly claimed several lives — noting that Obi did not react publicly to either incident.
In contrast, Omokri said Obi openly commented on fire outbreaks in states such as Lagos, Kano, Niger, Plateau, Katsina, Zamfara and Sokoto, a pattern he described as selective and politically motivated.
Omokri further accused Obi of fuelling ethnic and regional sentiments, arguing that many of the fire incidents were the result of environmental factors rather than governance failures.
He described Obi as a “tribal irredentist”, alleging that his pursuit of political power had eroded his ability to express genuine sympathy without apportioning blame.
According to Omokri, Obi’s reference to an alleged increase in fire incidents was aimed at scoring political points, adding that instead of offering compassion to victims, he chose to blame the government for incidents he said were largely environmentally induced.
He wrote, “Peter Obi blaming ‘surge’ of fire incidents on the government is a sad display of your tribalism, sectionalism, desperation and ignorance.
“But because of your desperation to be President at all costs, including the de-marketing of Nigeria, you chose to blame the government for what the environment is responsible for.”
