Peter Obi, former Labour Party presidential candidate, and his estranged ally, Kenneth Okonkwo, are engaged in a war of words.

Mr Okonkwo, who left the Obi camp after the 2023 presidential election, fired the first shot over the weekend in an interview with SYMFONI, a YouTube channel, in which he alleged that the former Anambra governor was banking on street urchins as followers.

Berating Mr Obi for being silent when his supporters spread lies about other people who worked with him, Mr Okonkwo said, “How is it that people are lying with Peter Obi’s name and he would not react to it, would not call them to order publicly? Why has Peter Obi not debunked that useless lie that somebody is lying with his name? It shows a leader who can’t even defend the truth or defend people who have worked for him.

“These are the kinds of problems Peter Obi has, attracting street urchins, classless street urchins. I saw one street urchin of the ekuke level. All those rabies-infected dogs. They are ill-bred, very ill-mannered. Those are the kind of followers that he is attracting now. Can you imagine in a society where other leaders are attracting distinguished people, the people you are attracting are the street urchins?”

Reacting to Mr Okonkwo’s criticisms in a statement on Wednesday, Mr Obi said, “Humanity is paramount in my politics, no street urchins. True leadership is not about mocking the weak; it is about lifting them up. Lately, I have heard a few people say that those who follow Peter Obi are low-class Nigerians, and some have even gone as far as calling them “street urchins” and people of no value. It is deeply unfortunate that in today’s Nigeria, citizens now look down on fellow citizens in such a degrading manner.”

Mr Obi pointed out that he would “never and will never look down on anyone, except to lift them up”.

“After all,” he said, “we can only rise by lifting others. No Nigerian is of no value. No Nigerian is a street urchin. It speaks volumes about the state of our nation that everyday Nigerians are now battered by poverty and hardship, to the point their leaders refer to them as of no value, and urchins.”