Former presidential candidate Peter Obi has publicly addressed what he describes as baseless allegations from presidential aide Daniel Bwala, who recently referred to him as a "419" fraudster during public commentary.
The Allegations and Context
During a recent podcast appearance, Peter Obi was confronted with claims made by Daniel Bwala regarding his tenure as Governor of Anambra State. Bwala had alleged that Obi engaged in fraudulent financial practices by keeping state government funds in a bank where he served as chairman.
Bwala's specific accusations suggested that Obi deliberately placed state funds in this institution to personally benefit from the interest generated. The presidential aide further claimed that when accounting for liabilities left by the Obi administration, there were essentially no real savings for the state, describing the situation as "pure 419" - a Nigerian term for advance-fee fraud schemes.
Obi's Firm Response
In his response, the former governor made it clear that he typically ignores such characters and their allegations. Peter Obi stated unequivocally that when he left office as Anambra State governor, the state owed no outstanding salaries, gratuities, pensions, or payments to suppliers who had delivered goods.
"Ordinarily I do not answer these type of characters," Obi declared during the podcast interview. "When I left office, I was not owing any salary that the state is supposed to pay, I was not owing any gratuity, I was not owing any pension, I was not owing any supplier that had delivered his goods."
Questioning the Source's Credibility
The Labour Party stalwent went further to question Bwala's familiarity with the actual situation in Anambra State. Obi revealed that Bwala has never visited Anambra State, thereby casting doubt on the presidential aide's understanding of the state's financial affairs during and after his governance.
Obi explained his general approach to such allegations: "I don't answer these types of character, I just leave them because that is what they used to feed." This statement suggests he views such accusations as attention-seeking behavior rather than substantive criticism.
The video of Obi's response was shared on Linda Ikeji's blog on December 11, 2025, providing visual context to his firm dismissal of the fraud allegations. The former presidential candidate maintained his characteristic calm demeanor while firmly rejecting what he considers unfounded character attacks.
