Addressing an audience of what appears to be Christian northerners, Mahdi told them that voting Obi is a vote for Biafra,
By Ishaya Ibrahim, News Editor
Northern activist, Shehu Mahdi, has stirred anger on social media after urging northern Christians not to vote Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi in next year’s election.
Mahdi is a staunch supporter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
Obi has made inroads among northern Christians and appears to be one of their favourite presidential aspirants. They have largely voted the PDP in previous elections.
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Addressing an audience of what appears to be Christian northerners, Mahdi told them that voting Obi is a vote for Biafra, because according to him, during violent agitations in the South East, the aggressors don’t make the distinctions of which northerner is a Christian or Muslim.
But Obi’s supporters who go by the moniker, Obidients, have rejected the tag that Obi represents Biafra.
They accused Mahdi of bigotry and wondered why he didn’t criticize Atiku for capitulating to a Muslim mob when he deleted the tweet in which he condemned the gruesome murder of Deborah Samuel.
Deborah Samuel was the Christian girl lynched by a Muslim mob in June over allegation of blasphemy.
After Atiku initially condemned the murder via a tweet, a mob trolled him on social media and threatened his presidential ambition. Atiku quickly deleted the tweet, and apologised afterwards, claiming it was “unauthorised.”
On Twitter, Tweeps have chastised Mahdi over the comment against Obi.
@AishaYesufu said: “Dear Northern Christians, Ask Mahdi whether Deborah was not Northern enough!”
@arewawizard said. “I came across a video of Dr Shehu Mahdi ( How he even be Dr?) advising northern Christians not to vote PO my question is that, where is the evidence that he’s a biafra agitator? How does the northern presidency helped the common NORTHERNER?..I go with PO! Competency or nothing!”
@Hiiikyaator said: “Shehu Mahdi came out to tell northern Christians not to vote an Igbo man. Has the majority Hausa North considered the Killings in Benue? Killings in Southern Kaduna? What of appointments and killing of Deborah? Park well… We are voting competence.”
@PrideOfAPeacok said: “Shehu Mahdi has asked Northern Christians not to vote Peter Obi. Where was Shehu when Deborah & others were lynched? Where was he when Kukah paid N30 million ransom for kidnapped priests? Where was he when Northern Christians attended church under the sun/rain?”
@nwa_anambra said: “If Atiku doesn’t support what happened to Deborah, he wouldn’t have deleted his condemnation tweet and apologised to her killers. Northern Christians, you are not protected with Atiku as a president. He stood with k*llers of Deborah, he won’t protect you when they come for you.”
@Yusuf_Mazaje1 said: “The people in charge of this country are Northern Muslims, yet Northern Muslims are being killed by our fellow Northern Muslims in the name of Boko Haram and Banditry, but Shehu Mahdi’s only concern is how to manipulate and brainwash the Northern Christians against Peter Obi.”