- Peter Obi has denied asking Nigerians abroad to stop sending money to their relatives at home.
- The former Anambra governor said his comments on diaspora remittances were twisted by political opponents.
- Obi maintained that Nigeria must create jobs, provide affordable healthcare and improve education so citizens can meet their basic needs.
Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the National Democratic Party (NDC), has said his message was twisted by political opponents following the backlash over his comments urging Nigerians abroad to reconsider requests for financial assistance from relatives back home.
The former Anambra State governor made the clarification in a statement titled “My Message Has Been Twisted”, which he shared on his X account on Tuesday, October 20, 2026. He insisted that he never asked Nigerians in the diaspora to abandon their loved ones.
Peter Obi appreciates Nigerians abroad
Peter Obi said he deeply appreciated Nigerians living abroad who worked hard and made sacrifices to support their families in the country.
According to him, money sent home by Nigerians in the diaspora helps families pay school fees, hospital bills, rent and feeding expenses.
He added that their sacrifices and patriotism deserved respect, stressing that his message was not intended to discourage them from helping their loved ones.
“I never asked them to abandon their loved ones. My concern is that Nigeria should not remain a country where millions depend on relatives abroad for basic survival,” Obi said.
His clarification followed reactions to his remarks at a town hall meeting with Nigerians in Manchester, United Kingdom, where he urged those abroad to tell relatives requesting money to vote for productive leaders.
Obi explains his message on diaspora remittances
The former governor said his concern was that millions of Nigerians had to depend on relatives abroad to meet their basic needs.
Peter Obi argued that the country should create an environment where citizens could access employment, affordable healthcare, quality education and economic opportunities.
“Our goal must be to build a nation that provides jobs, affordable healthcare, quality education, and economic opportunities for its citizens,” he said.
He maintained that Nigeria needed to address the conditions forcing many families to depend on financial assistance from relatives living overseas.
Peter Obi accuses political opponents of twisting his message about Nigerians abroad
Peter Obi also accused his political opponents of distorting his comments, insisting that he was advocating a country that could provide for its citizens. Nigerians Abroad.
He said his message should not be interpreted as a call for Nigerians abroad to withdraw financial support from their families.
“Political opponents may twist my message, but the truth remains clear: I am not asking Nigerians abroad to abandon their families. I am advocating for a Nigeria that will no longer abandon its own people,” he stated.
Obi concluded his statement by offering prayers for Nigerians living in the country and those abroad.
“God bless Nigerians abroad and home. God bless Nigeria,” he added.
Meanwhile, ex Buhari’s aid raises alarm over alleged mass reporting of Tinubu supporters’ and APC supporters’ X accounts, saying reports alone should not trigger suspension.
Ex Buhari’s aid, Bashir Ahmad has raised concerns a coordinated efforts by some people to mass-report the X accounts of the supporters of President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Ahmad made the claim in a post on X (formerly Twitter), alleging that some people had formed groups specifically to report accounts belonging to Tinubu supporters and APC online supporters in an attempt to get them suspended.
He said the alleged development reminded him of his own experience with coordinated mass reporting on the social media platform over the years.
According to the Ex Buhari’s aid, he had faced repeated reports from different groups, including a government agency in a Middle Eastern country.
He recalled that around 2018, his X account came under a massive wave of reports, an experience he said led to a follow from Jack Dorsey, the then chief executive officer of Twitter.
The Ex Buhari’s aid said the experience gave him unprecedented access to Dorsey.
He added that his past encounters with mass reporting had taught him that the number of reports against an account should not, by itself, lead to suspension if the account owner has not violated the platform’s rules and policies. Continue reading here
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