Miyetti Allah zonal chairman recalled that Obi never failed to celebrate Sallah with them when he was governor of the state, a ritual he continued after office.
By Jeffrey Agbo
The Muslim community in Awka, Anambra State capital has commended the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the February 25 poll, Peter Obi, for his exceptional show of love to them while in and out of office.
Zonal chairman of Miyetti Allah in the state, Alhaji Gidado Siddik, disclosed this when Obi paid Sallah homage to them at the Awka Central Mosque on Monday.
Siddik, explaining why the former governor was invited to their mosque, noted that it was “to fraternize with him as they always did in the past, and to encourage him on his journey to New Nigeria, not minding the falsehoods peddled against him.”
According to Siddik, they had wanted to visit Obi at his house in Onitsha, but on receiving their invitation, Obi offered to visit them at the mosque and celebrate Eid el Fitr with them.
Speaking at the Central Mosque in Awka during Obi’s visit, the Miyetti Allah zonal chairman recalled that Obi never failed to celebrate Sallah with them when he was governor of the state, a ritual he continued after office. He praised Obi for his visible contributions to the development of their community over the years.
Siddik stated that under Obi’s administration as governor, many of their children received scholarships and several Muslims were sponsored for pilgrimage to Mecca by Obi, and since Obi left office, that tradition ended. “No governor has sponsored any of us to Mecca since Obi left office,” he said.
Siddik continued, “Some of our members applied for agricultural loans under Peter Obi’s administration, and they were approved, without knowing us in person. Such a thing has never happened. Obi treated us like indigenes and made us feel at home in Anambra. He did not segregate between Muslims and Christians nor between Northerners and Easterners.”
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Leader of the Awka Muslim Community, Garba Sarki, in his remarks, noted that the many lies told by traducers to tarnish Obi’s image in the North are sad. He said he was willing to tell the whole world who Obi is, and how he has helped their community to grow in the state. He said that the Muslim community in Awka supported Obi’s bid for the presidency because they know and understand the kind of person he is and how prepared he is to change the trajectory of the nation.
The LP presidential standard bearer Obi appreciated the community for their love and support and urged the people to resist any attempt to divide the nation along religious and tribal lines.
He maintained that a prosperous economy will be beneficial both to Christians and Muslims, and as such, all should join hands to make the nation better. He called on Nigerians to continue to love and support one another for a better nation.
Obi, who was accompanied by Celestine Okoye (Retd DIG), Representative-elect, Prof. Oby Orogbu; and his former commissioners namely Prof. Chinyere Stella Okunna; Barr. Peter Afuba, SAN; Ndubisi Menakaya; Dr. Patrick Obi; Lady Henrietta Agbata; Fidel Okafor as well as Assembly member-elect, Henry Mbachu; presented his material and cash gifts to the community and wished them well.