Peter Obi, an opposition politician and former presidential candidate, has deplored the purported deportation of some citizens by the Lagos state government to their home state, Osun.

Although, the Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, reportedly, denied such incident took place, Obi despite weighed in on the matter.

Obi said that the incident had “saddened” and “shocked” him.

“This is not merely a concern for Osun State but for all Nigerians who uphold the principles of unity, fairness, and justice,” Obi said on his X account.

He added, “I find this action very distasteful because of the far-reaching effects it will have on our National cohesion and development. As a pan-Nigerian advocate, I vehemently oppose any form of discrimination, injustice, or violation of our citizens’ rights. Obi urged calm till the facts of the matter are known.

TheCornet reports that Osun Governor Ademola Adeleke said he contacted his Lagos counterpart Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who denied the incident and promised to carry out an investigation.

Obi: Political Hypocrisy or genuine concern

No sooner did Peter Obi issued his statement damning the purported deportation than media reports of his taking a similar action as Anambra State governor in 2011 surfaced.

In a 2011 report published by Leadership newspaper, journalist David Chyddy Eleke had said that Obi, as then governor, ordered the arrest and deportation of 29 women and their children from Awaka and Onitsha to their home states of Ebonyi and Akwa Ibom states.

The report had said at the time that the women were using their children as street beggars.

Obi had intensified his criticism of the incumbent administration since losing the presidency as a candidate of the Labour Party in 2023. His critics accused him of pushing cheap populism and incitement with his comments.

David Umahi, minister of works, and a kinsman of Obi from the Igbo-speaking southeastern part of Nigeria, had described Obi as such in his recent comment over the demolition of part of a tourist center, Landmark. The federal government had explained that it needed to demolish part of the beachfront structure to give way for the construction of the Lagos-Calabar highway.

Critics had tainted the demolition with ethnic tar as the owner is from the same region as Obi and Umahi. Obi deplored the government’s decision, an action Umahi described as a hypocrisy. Umahi reminded Obi that he took a similar action during his time as Anambra state governor, leading the former presidential candidate to give clarifications about his actions at the time.

This medium reports that opposition politics in Nigeria, majorly, rides on the wave of momentary approval ratings or public perception of an incumbent government or its policies. Opposition figures, more often than not, cash in on this to achieve good standing before the public.