The Nigerian Presidency has likened the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, to former US President Donald Trump, drawing parallels between their political tactics.
Temitope Ajayi, the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to President Bola Tinubu, made the comparison on Wednesday in a post shared on social media platform X.
Ajayi’s remarks came in the wake of the US presidential debate between Republican candidate Trump and Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris.
He wrote, “Peter Obi is the Nigerian 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.”
The debate between Trump and Harris was marked by heated exchanges on several issues, including abortion rights and immigration, as both candidates sought to win over voters in a closely contested race.
Ajayi praised Vice President Harris for her handling of the debate, noting, “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 her capacity.”
He further elaborated on Harris’s debate strategy, adding, “Vice President Harris knew Trump’s weakness and set traps for him. Trump fell for her baits.”
Fact-checkers reviewed the claims made by both candidates during the debate.
According to Ajayi, “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-minute debate.”
Media reports following the debate noted Trump’s repeated use of conspiracy theories and false statements, particularly regarding the 2020 election and immigration. Despite being fact-checked by moderators, Trump stood by his claims, including a controversial assertion about immigrants.
“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 claimed, contradicting official statements from the Springfield city manager, who dismissed the accusations as baseless.
The comparison between Peter Obi and Donald Trump comes as the 2024 US elections approach, with the race scheduled for Tuesday, November 5.