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| Obi and Alake |
The Peter Obi Media Office on Monday, September 21, 2026, criticised comments made by the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Mr. Dele Alake, who recently attacked former Anambra State governor Peter Obi over his record in that state.
In a statement signed by Idris Zekeri Jnr., spokesman for the Peter Obi Media Office, the team said Alake’s remarks were “absurd” and came at an inappropriate time.
The office noted that while Alake sought to question Mr. Obi’s record in Anambra, public attention is focused on the minister’s own performance amid a recent tragedy that claimed 37 young Nigerians’ lives.
“For us in Peter Obi Media, there is a tragic irony in watching high‑ranking public officials prioritise political posturing over executive accountability,” the statement said. It added that in a functioning democracy, a disaster of this scale under a minister’s direct oversight should prompt sober reflection and immediate systemic reform, not partisan attacks.
The media office compared Alake to historical figures who ignored crises while they unfolded, saying his criticism of Mr. Obi is especially tone‑deaf given the ongoing national mourning and calls for accountability.
The Peter Obi Media Office urged that attention be redirected toward addressing the causes of the incident and implementing measures to prevent similar tragedies, rather than engaging in political point‑scoring.
The statement also reiterated its call for empathy and responsibility from public officials.
It states; “For us in Peter Obi Media, there is a tragic irony in watching high-ranking public officials prioritise political posturing over executive accountability.
“In a functional democracy where leadership is bound by empathy and responsibility, a disaster claiming the lives of dozens of citizens under a minister's direct oversight would demand total focus, sober reflection, and immediate systemic reform.
“Yet, instead of fixing the catastrophic failures in Nigeria's solid minerals sector, providing answers to these questions: Who authorised the operation? What safeguards were in place? Who failed? And who will be held accountable?
“A minister overseeing a sector at the centre of such a tragic episode is busy trying to create a distraction.
“Minister Dele Alake appears more eager to trade political barbs regarding Peter Obi and past state governance records.
“The numbers are not mere statistics, they represent real human lives lost in illegal, unsafe, and poorly regulated mining environments. When young citizens die in underground pits while the custodian of that very sector devotes energy to political distractions, it sends a troubling message about the administration's true priorities.
“Before offering public lectures on state-level administrative histories or political credentials, federal custodians of failed essential sectors must first account for their primary responsibilities:
“Ending unchecked illegal operations and curbing informal and unregulated extraction that endangers vulnerable youth seeking a livelihood is the Minister's responsibility.
“Nigerian youths deserve a solid minerals sector built on safety, regulation, and sustainable development, not an executive office that chases political shadows while tragedy unfolds on its watch.
“The APC administration has copiously proven in all sectors that it has failed the Nigerian people in all ramifications.”
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