Felix Morka, National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has strongly denied allegations made by Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, claiming that Morka threatened him and his family over Obi’s New Year message to President Bola Tinubu.
Obi raised the alarm on Monday, accusing Morka of making threats after Obi’s tweet about President Tinubu. According to Obi, Morka allegedly warned him about “crossing the line” and mentioned consequences.
The accusation sparked responses from various political figures, including former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, who condemned the ruling party for attempting to suppress opposition voices.
The Labour Party also called for an investigation into Obi’s claims and urged President Tinubu to take action against Morka.
In response to the allegations, Morka issued a statement on Tuesday, clarifying that his comments had been misconstrued. He explained that the accusation stemmed from an interview he gave on AriseTV’s This Week programme on January 4, 2025.
“To be clear and for the record, Morka did not threaten Mr. Obi or his family or those around him or anyone. Morka has absolutely no reason to, and has never, threatened Obi or anyone,” Morka stated.
He further clarified that his remarks had been misinterpreted, insisting, “Nothing that Morka said in that interview or any other forum remotely contains or suggests threat against Mr. Obi or anyone else.”
Describing Obi’s allegations as “malicious lies,” Morka accused the Labour Party leader of deliberately misrepresenting his words to create a false narrative and incite public outrage. “Obi’s tactics of deceit and manipulation must be called out,” he added.
Morka also explained the context of his comment, which he said was in response to a specific question about Obi’s remarks on “prophet of doom” and “voodoo economics.”
He emphasized that the statement, “I am not somebody to go on the offensive in that manner, but Mr. Obi has crossed the line so many times and I think that at this point he has coming to him, whatever he gets, he needs to manage it,” was not intended as a threat.
He defended the right to free speech, stating that while Obi, like everyone else, has the right to express his views, spreading misinformation should not go unchecked.
“While everyone has a right to free speech, no one has a right to peddle misinformation or outright falsehood,” Morka asserted, adding that Obi should not expect immunity from challenge for spreading false narratives.
Morka further accused Obi of fostering a culture of intimidation, claiming that Obi’s supporters engage in bullying and issuing death threats to those who disagree with him.
“Many eminent and highly respected elder statesmen have been serially attacked, humiliated, and bullied by Obi’s online followers. Obi has never condemned their conduct or called them to order,” Morka stated.
He also criticized Obi’s sense of entitlement, accusing him of acting as though he were above reproach. “Obi must think himself to be Nigeria’s sacred cow, the super citizen, quintessential, without blemish, beyond reproach, always right, never wrong,” Morka concluded.
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