The supporters of the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, have lashed out at a former senator representing Kogi West, Dino Melaye, over his claim that the former governor of Anambra State was brought to limelight by the presidential standard-bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar.

Melaye, while speaking at an event organised by a women’s political group, Diamond Ladies in Politics, in Abuja, over the weekend, said Obi was not known nationally until Atiku identified him.

Reacting to the former senator’s assertion, the supporters of the LP presidential flag-bearer, in a statement issued on Monday by the Obidient Media Team, said Melaye failed to look back to know that Peter Obi was known across the country before he met Atiku.

The statement read: “We have just been informed that the PDP Presidential Candidate discovered the Labour Party Presidential Candidate Mr. Peter Obi and brought him to National limelight.

“But before he met Atiku in 2018 Obi had finished being a two-term Governor of Anambra state in an election he won in 2003 but was in court for three years before getting his mandate via Supreme Court.

“Before Obi met Atiku he had registered his name in corporate World as the youngest Nigerian to be Chairman of a commercial bank.

“Before he met Atiku he was Chairman of the Board of Securities and Exchange Commission?

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“Before he met Atiku, THISDAY Newspapers had examined the performance of all Governors of the state and awarded Obi Governor of the Decade.

“Before he met Atiku a President had fished him out and made him Special Adviser on Finance and made him a member of the Presidential Economic Team.

“Before he met Atiku in 2018 he was the Vice Chairman, Nigeria’s Governors Forum 2008 to 2014 and Chairman, South East Governor’s Forum 20006 to 2014, etc.

“We can now understand why, History was not thought in Dino Melaye’s school and he read Geography, he didn’t know how to look back to know that one Peter Obi long existed before he met one Atiku,” the supporters stated.

The Star recalls that Obi was the running mate to Atiku, a former Vice-President, in the 2019 general election.

Obi, in May 2022, however, defected to Labour Party shortly before the primary election of the PDP, which was won by the former Vice-President.

The Star