Different social media users claimed that Peter Obi, the Labour Party candidate in the 2023 presidential election, deleted a post on X about visiting Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB), Nigeria’s former military head of state.

The claim surfaced following renewed public attention on Babangida after he published a 420-page autobiography titled A Journey in Service.

Babangida, often considered a dictator, remains a polarising figure in Nigeria’s political history. The reactions to his book have ranged from praise to criticism.

On February 21, for instance, All Progressives Congress (APC) supporter Pastor Okezie J. Atani publicly called Obi out for deleting a post about his visit to Babangida, implying that the former presidential candidate once sought to distance himself from the ex-military ruler.

The X Post

The post in question, originally shared by Peter Obi on X, read:

“From Jigawa State, I travelled to Minna, Niger State, to pay a visit to a father figure, elder statesman and leader, the former military president, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, at his residence in Minna, Niger State. The visit was an opportunity to wish him a happy New Year and to exchange thoughts on national issues.

General Babangida’s wisdom and perspectives remain very important and I always deeply appreciate the chance to visit him and listen to his invaluable advice and words of wisdom. A new Nigeria is POssible! -PO”

Okezie’s post questioning Obi’s alleged deletion read:

“Dear Mr Peter Gregory Onwubuasi Obi, why did you DELETE this tweet?”

The post made by Okezie had garnered more than 252,000 views on X at press time.

Other users on X echoed similar claims. Afonja Amoda, on the same day as Okezie, questioned the deletion in response to another post referencing IBB.

Michael Zucci and the account name tagged Annex also made similar insinuations.

Verification

A simple review of Peter Obi’s timeline contradicts these claims.

The original post about Obi’s visit to Babangida, published on January 5, remains visible.

Obi had posted about visiting the former dictator to discuss national issues in the spirit of the new year.

Conclusion

The claim that Obi deleted a post on X about his visit to Babangida is false. The original post remains on his timeline, and his continued engagements with IBB — including attending the recent book launch — contradict any insinuation that he is attempting to distance himself from the former head of state.