July 08, (THEWILL) – Nigerians on Twitter are calling for the ban of Reno Omokri, a former aide to ex-president Goodluck Jonathan, on the app for writing a comment many felt could incite the Hausas against the Igbos, following an interview Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, granted on Arise TV on Wednesday, June 6th.
In the interview, Obi, reacting to an earlier interview Rabiu Kwankwaso, the presidential flag bearer of New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) said;
“The comment from my respected elder brother, Kwankwaso, is the reason why we have 100 million Nigerians living in poverty and the reason why we have 18 million Nigerian children out of school.
“It is the reason why we have over 55% of Nigerians on the under or unemployment ladder. It is the reason why Nigeria is unsecured, because rather than vote for competence, we choose to vote for incompetence based on a primitive consideration of ethnicity and religion.
“Show me where you can buy food cheaper, where you have uninterrupted electricity or where people are prospering in the North because northerners are in power? In the South West because they are in power? or in the South East.
“What we’ve chosen to do in this country is to consistently hire vehicle drivers to fly the Nigerian airplane instead of hiring qualified pilots.”
After the interview, Reno commented that Obi considered himself a pilot and Kwankwanso a mere driver and said that the people of Kano and the North have heard his comment.
Nigerians on Twitter are saying his comments are incitive and could cause an ethnic crisis and are asking Twitter to ban him.
The petition has now reached over 75 thousand signatures.
Reacting to the petition, Reno lamented that his life is being threatened.
“Watch what they are doing to me. That is exactly what they will do to anyone critical of Peter Obi if he becomes President. There will be no free speech. Only mob justice.
“They threatened my life. Then they threatened my one year old daughter. Why? Because I criticised their god and messiah.
“What exactly did I say? I said Peter Obi was wrong to describe himself as a pilot and other Presidential candidates as “mere drivers” and “substitute players.”
“That is why they are threatening my life. If I was in Nigeria, they would have sent unknown gunmen after me.
“Now, imagine if Rabiu Kwankwaso had described himself as a pilot and other Presidential aspirants, and Peter Obi in particularly, as ‘mere drivers’. What will they do? I reported their threat to my life to Peter Obi directly. He did nothing.
“The threats are becoming too much. My life is at risk. If anything happens to me, my wife, my children, or my siblings, the world should hold Peter Obi responsible. He has raised a horde of intolerant and violent Obidients who just want to replace Buhari’s tyranny with theirs!”
Also, a Nigerian Catholic priest serving in Malawi, Rev Fr Kelvin Ugwu, accused Reno of hatred and Inciting Muslims against Christians.
According to him, Reno was the first to post a picture of a mat that had Peter Obi’s image engraved on it.
The clergy accused Reno of trying to instigate a Muslim/ Christian fight with arguments on tolerance and intolerance that even led to Peter Obi making a disclaimer.
Rev Ugwu also accused Reno of trying to gaslight Peter Obi’s supporters by emotionally blackmailing them and accusing them of cyberbullying when the table turns.
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