Former Anambra State Governor and 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has firmly rejected recent accusations of “de-marketing” Nigeria, insisting that speaking the truth about the nation’s economic and governance challenges is a patriotic act—not a betrayal.

In a statement posted Thursday on X (formerly Twitter), Obi addressed growing backlash over his international commentary on Nigeria’s governance and economic performance. Though he did not directly name names, his comments appeared to be a response to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who last week accused him of disparaging Nigeria during a recent appearance at Johns Hopkins University in the United States.

“I tried reminding those who argue that I de-marketed Nigeria by telling the truth about its economic and social status vis-à-vis the rest of the world that truth does not in any way demarket a nation,” Obi wrote. “Rather, it refines and strengthens it.”

Obi warned against politicizing reality for convenience, adding that when truth is weaponized, it dishonors Nigeria’s past heroes. “We betray the very essence of their sacrifices, their struggles, their hopes, and their dreams,” he said.

The former governor made the remarks after attending a memorial lecture in honour of elder statesman Chief Edwin Clark, alongside former President Goodluck Jonathan and ex-Head of State General Yakubu Gowon.

During the event, Obi criticized what he described as the “deafening silence” of activists and political voices who once protested under the Jonathan administration over fuel and food prices, but have now grown quiet amid deeper economic hardship.

“Where are those who, in 2012/13, protested vigorously when increases in fuel, exchange rate, food, and transport prices were moderate and manageable under President Jonathan?” he asked. “Where are those who called him clueless, corrupt, ineffective, and lifeless? Prices of everything have increased tenfold today.”

Obi also decried rising insecurity, poverty, and the collapse of public institutions, calling on Nigerian leaders to return to the founding values of service, truth, and justice.

“This is not the Nigeria our founding heroes envisioned,” he said. “We must not reduce their sacrifices to mere ceremonial tributes. The best way to honour Chief Edwin Clark and others like him is to restore integrity in governance, rebuild trust in our public institutions, and ensure that truth and justice are the foundations of our national journey.”

Governor Sanwo-Olu had, on April 28, criticized Obi’s U.S. remarks, arguing that prominent Nigerians should use global platforms to promote the nation’s image, not undermine it.

But Obi’s latest comments make clear he intends to double down on what he views as “constructive patriotism,” even in the face of political pushback.