Legendary Nigerian singer Peter Okoye, popularly known as Mr. P, has addressed the ongoing internet tribal debate.
Since the announcement of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the winner of the 2023 presidential election, there have been debates online as to which tribe betrayed the other at the polls because candidates from the three major tribes in Nigeria (Igbo, Hausa, and Yoruba) vied for the country’s highest position.
Tinubu lost to the Labour Party’s Peter Obi in Lagos State, a result some people have used to mock Tinubu’s claim to ownership of Lagos State. The Labour Party is also giving the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) a run for their money in Lagos State as Nigerians head to the gubernatorial polls on Saturday, March 11, 2023.
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The gubernatorial candidate of the Labour Party, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, is seeking to beat sitting governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for the state’s highest position, which has drawn bitter arguments online as some myopic residents of the western Nigerian state believe the Labour Party candidate is an Igbo candidate because of his affiliation with Peter Obi.
Peter Okoye of the legendary PSquare duo, who alongside his brother Paul Okoye strongly campaigned for Peter Obi, entered the debate and advised citizens not to allow politicians to use them as tools for ethnic rivalry.
The 41-year-old singer also said he married a Yoruba woman and could not hate her because of politicians or bitter arguments. He also said Yorubas and Igbos do not hate each other.
He said:
“I am an Igbo man married to a Yoruba woman! Igbos do not hate Yorubas. Neither do Yorubas hate Igbos. Politicians are using tribe as an excuse to cover their evil. They don’t like you, whether Igbo or Yoruba. They only care about their pockets. Be wiser.”