Peter Obi dismisses Umahi’s debate challenge, says he should first become a presidential candidate
NDC presidential candidate Peter Obi has responded to a debate challenge from Nigeria’s Minister of Works, David Umahi, saying the minister should first become a presidential candidate before seeking such a debate.
Obi compared the situation to international football, saying it would be like a country that did not qualify for the FIFA World Cup inviting a participating nation to play a match during the tournament.
Using another analogy, he said it was similar to “someone in Division One asking a Premier League team for a match.”
The former Anambra State governor maintained that any debate involving presidential candidates should be between individuals officially contesting for the presidency, rather than between a presidential candidate and a government minister.
His words …
“If he wants to debate me now, inviting me as a presidential candidate, he should first become a presidential candidate. The World Cup is ongoing—you can’t be outside the tournament inviting countries that qualified to come and play with you, is like someone who’s in division one, asking a premier League team for match.”
Watch video below …
“If he wants to debate me now, inviting me as a presidential candidate, he should first become a presidential candidate. The World Cup is ongoing—you can’t be outside the tournament inviting countries that qualified to come and play with you, is like someone who’s in division… pic.twitter.com/sm7vXPY3Mi
— CHUKS 🍥 (@ChuksEricE) July 11, 2026