Mustapha Lawal
Claim
Former Aviation Minister and Director of New Media of the APC presidential campaign, Femi Fani Kayode appeared on the Channels Television program “Politics Today”, where he claimed the presidential candidate of the Labour party, Peter Obi Issued ID cards to Northerners and shipped them out of Anambra state back to their states while he was Governor of the state.
He also claimed that Peter Obi denied Non-Ibos a chance of having stores at Ibo markets all over the country.
Verdict
The claim on the issuance of ID cards and shipping out of Northerners is False!
The claim on denying Non-Ibos a chance of owning stores in Ibo markets is also False!
Full-Text
Former Aviation Minister and Director of New Media of the APC presidential campaign, Femi Fani Kayode claimed the Labour Party candidate, Peter Obi as a Governor of Anambra issued ID cards to Northerners in the state, shipped them back to their states, and denied Non-Ibos a chance of having a store at Ibo markets.
Fani-Kayode, who was featured in a Channels Television program, Politics Today, made the claims in his response when asked why the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu is a better choice for Nigerians than his counterparts.
Verification
FactCheckElections discovered that during Peter Obi’s term as governor of Anambra State, northerners were not required to carry identity cards.
According to a 2019 post on Dubawa (a fact-checking platform), it was another South-East governor (Rochas Okorocha of Imo State), who proposed such in 2014 with the support of the efforts of the Hausa community leaders in the state.
Therefore, there is no evidence to support the claim of Mr. Femi Fani that Northerners in Anambra state were issued an ID card by the Peter Obi’s administration.
Also, In 2011, Peter Obi deported several people from the state, according to reports. However, these individuals were some “beggars” who did not originate from Anambra and were residents of the states of Akwa Ibom and Ebonyi, not Northerners.
The State claimed that the expulsion served as a warning to beggars to get off Anambra streets or face arrest, especially to minors who their parents were using to beg for alms. So the claim that Mr. Peter Obi shipped Northerners out of Anambra state is also False.
Using verification tools and search engines, FactCheckElections was unable to find any evidence to support Fani Kayode’s assertion that Peter Obi forbade non-Ibos from owning a business in Ibo markets across the nation.
Conclusion
FactCheckElections can conclude that the claims by Femi Fani Kayode that the Labour presidential candidate, Peter Obi issued ID cards and shipped northerners out of Anambra state while he was the Governor and that he denied Non-Ibos a chance of owning stores in Ibo markets are False!