The 2027 presidential aspirant, Peter Obi, has reacted to criticisms that trailed the viral images and movies of him serving meals at a latest occasion in Imo State.
Responding to critics in a put up on his official X account on Sunday, July 13, 2025, Obi said his gesture was borne out of humility and repair to humanity.
The previous Anambra State Governor pressured that the act was not supposed to be a marketing campaign technique, accusing “paid brokers” of twisting a honest gesture into “one thing political.”
He urged Nigerians to have a thoughts shift away from performative charity to a tradition of constant compassion.
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That is approaching the heels of a wave of criticisms that greeted the footage, which confirmed Obi carrying a tray of meals and serving visitors on the Jubilee of Hope occasion in Imo state final weekend.
“My weekend exercise of serving meals at a particular occasion has been producing curiosity, as expectedly, as a result of leaders in our society have eliminated the service part in management,” he wrote.
“It’s sounding unusual that I used to be seen serving meals to folks. Let me be clear, that occasion was not about me. It was referred to as the Jubilee of Hope, and its goal is simple, to remind us all that true management is service, and that those that have should always remember those that don’t.”
Obi says he did not serve meals for the cameras
My serving meals is humility, not marketing campaign technique – Peter Obi replies critics
The Labour Social gathering presidential flag-bearer in 2023 acknowledged that he neither posted in regards to the occasion nor invited media, including that content material from the occasion discovered its approach to the web by third events outdoors of his crew.
“As anticipated, the standard naysayers and paid brokers went to work attempting to twist one thing honest into one thing political,” he added.
Obi pressured that the Jubilee of Hope wasn’t a performative gathering, however fairly a conscientious occasion, the place the privileged are reminded of their accountability to the much less lucky.
“However let me restate the guts of the matter, the Jubilee of Hope is designed for the wealthy to come back down from their excessive locations, even when only for a second, and serve the poor, not as a present, however as an emblem of the society we should construct. A society anchored on empathy, fairness, and accountability,” he mentioned.
He clarified that he wasn’t the one attendee who served meals on the event, naming different outstanding Nigerians, together with John Onaiyekan, a cardinal and former Catholic archbishop of Abuja, Osita Izunaso, and A.B.C. Orjiako, former chairman of Seplat Plc, as co-participants within the outreach.
“It wasn’t in regards to the cameras; it was about conscience.
“I’m genuinely stunned that this easy act has turn out to be a subject of debate. As Governor, I at all times served others each time we had occasions. Even now, in personal life, I should not have a home assist.
“When visitors go to my dwelling, I serve them myself. I stay merely, I sweep, I clear, as a result of for me, humility shouldn’t be a marketing campaign technique; it’s a lifestyle,” he wrote.
The presidential hopeful additional disclosed that he selected to remain longer on the occasion as a result of lots of the underprivileged in attendance requested to be served instantly by him.
“I couldn’t ignore them. That was the one purpose. In any other case, there was nothing particular about what I did. Service shouldn’t be particular; it’s anticipated.
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“We can not communicate of constructing a New Nigeria whereas ignoring the hungry, the forgotten, and the poor. Occasions like this should not stay symbolic; they have to turn out to be cultural. Public workplace holders, enterprise leaders, and on a regular basis residents should unite in lifting others.
“Allow us to work collectively to construct a rustic the place hope shouldn’t be seasonal, and dignity shouldn’t be a privilege, however a proper,” Obi concluded.
