Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, has lambasted the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, over his debate challenge.
Obi, who spoke during an interview with media entrepreneur Chude Jideonwo, said Umahi must first become a presidential candidate before inviting him to such an engagement.
He was responding to a question on whether he would accept Umahi’s challenge after criticising the state of Nigerian roads, saying the debate had already been settled because his criticism of a bad road led to repairs.
Obi likened the situation to a football team that had qualified for the FIFA World Cup being challenged by one that failed to qualify, noting that presidential debates are generally reserved for leading presidential candidates.
He said, “If he is inviting me to a debate as a presidential candidate, then he has to become a presidential candidate first.
“The World Cup is going on now. You cannot stay outside and invite a team that qualified for the World Cup to come and play against you simply because you think you are good. No. There is a qualification process.”
Obi’s response comes days after Umahi said the former Anambra governor was not a political threat to President Bola Tinubu or the ruling All Progressives Congress.
