Former governor of Anambra state and presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi, has drawn sharp criticisms over his loud silence on the devastating flood that has swept away towns in his home state and left several citizens displaced and in need of essential relief items.
Obi who governed the state for two terms and elicits mixed reactions over his legacy, including investments in state infrastructure required to avert the periodic floods which lay wastes to farmlands and cause deaths, has maintained an unusual silence in the face of growing reports illustrating the great losses recorded in the state since the beginning of the month when towns in the state came under water.
The Onitsha-Otuocha-Omor-Adani road leading to Ayamelum Local Government in Anambra has been submerged in water. A similar situation was recorded in Umueze Anam, Anambra West LGA of Anambra State. At least one person has died from a building collapse caused by a flood.
Despite Obi’s well-noted tactic to latch on to tragic incidents in parts of the country to incite the public against the government, he has turned the other way, ignoring the reports of the flood ravaging Anambra State, likely because commenting on it will open him to criticism from dissatisfied residents who fault his administration as failing to address the underlying problems of the state.
Obi’s selective criticism and neglect of signs of maladministration in his region, including the violent streak of the secessionist group IPOB, adds to his broad perception as a sectional candidate running as the vanguard of a tribal agenda.