Reactions as Presidency compares Peter Obi to Donald Trump

The Nigerian Presidency has likened Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to former US President Donald Trump.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Temitope Ajayi, Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to President Bola Tinubu, made the comparison on Wednesday.

Ajayi’s remarks followed the US presidential debate between Trump and Democratic candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris.

He suggested that, much like Trump, Obi represents a political outsider with a strong following that challenges the establishment.

The comparison has stirred mixed reactions, with some drawing parallels between the two leaders’ populist appeal, while others argued that the political contexts of Nigeria and the US are vastly different.

“Peter Obi is the Nigeria version of Donald Trump. Like Obi, Trump will use the most negative epithets imaginable to describe a country he wants to lead again just to make a point and rile up his base,” he wrote.

During the debate, Harris and Trump clashed on many issues ranging from abortion rights to immigration, as both candidates sought to sway voters in a tightly contested race.

Ajayi added, “Kamala Harris prosecuted Trump very well in their first face to face debate yesterday night. Kamala convincingly won the debate and left no one in doubt about his capacity.

“Vice President Harris knew Trump’s weakness and set traps for him. Trump fell for her baits. Both candidates have been fact-checked on their claims in the debate. While Harris was reported to have made just one incorrect claim, Trump made 33 false claims in the same 90 minutes debate.”

Media reports revealed that Trump often responded to Harris’s provocations by repeating conspiracy theories and making false statements regarding the 2020 election and immigration.

Despite being fact-checked by debate moderators, the former president stood by his controversial claims, including the assertion that immigrants were consuming the pets of U.S. residents.

“In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs — the people that came in — they’re eating the cats, they’re eating the pets of the people that live there. And this is what’s happening in our country,” Trump said, contradicting the Springfield city manager, who said such accusations had no basis in fact.

The 2024 US elections are slated to be held on Tuesday, November 5, 2024