Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State, Jarret Tenebe, has stirred controversy after openly declaring his hatred for the 2023 Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, insisting he has every right to express such a sentiment.
Tribune Online reports that speaking at a political rally last Friday, Edo state governor, Monday Okpebholo, had instructed that the former presidential candidate of the Labour Party must always seek clearance from him before he visits the state.
However, at a press conference held in the state over the weekend, Tenebe supported the governor, saying that Obi is ‘well-hated’ by many people in Edo state, including himself.
The Edo APC Chairman said “The governor can say that because of the kind of hatred people have for Peter Obi in the state including me and when you have so many of us that have hatred for people like that, most especially when they came to Edo state and people died, it is proper for him to tell the governor before he comes so that people like us can be sent on errand out of Edo before he can come and possibly go.”
During a live interview on TVC, Tenebe reaffirmed this and stood by his comments.
“The opposite of hate is love. If I don’t love you, I hate you. I know I expressed myself, so I do not hide my feelings. I do not like Peter Obi. I still maintain it, and if I do not like somebody, I hate the person,” he said.
When the TV host suggested that “dislike” would have been a more appropriate term, Tenebe rejected the notion, insisting he is not someone who stays neutral.
“No! The difference between hate and love is what you are saying—being in the middle. I don’t stay in the middle; I am an extremist. I do not like Peter Obi; I hate him. I have the right to like or hate,” he said.
He further argued that his comments are protected under Nigeria’s constitution.
“The constitution of Nigeria is clear on freedom of expression. I can express how I feel about somebody. The constitution does not say, ‘Don’t hate somebody’ or that you must not hate someone. So I can decide to hate or love somebody,” he added.
https://tribuneonlineng.com/i-hate-peter-obi-edo-apc-chairman-insists/
