MURIC in a statement signed by its Executive Director, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, accused Peter Obi, of nursing evil intentions for trying to stop the government from acquiring new aircraft for the presidential fleet.
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has alleged that Peter Obi, a former Labour Party presidential candidate and other critics against moves to buy new presidential aircraft want President Bola Tinubu to crash.
A Malawi Defence Force aircraft carrying the country’s Vice President, Dr. Saulos Klaus Chilima and nine others, recently crashed, killing everyone on board.
In May, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and others were killed in a helicopter crash in mountainous terrain near the Azerbaijan border.
MURIC in a statement signed by its Executive Director, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, accused Peter Obi, of nursing evil intentions for trying to stop the government from acquiring new aircraft for the presidential fleet.
The group alleged that Peter Obi's body language since the declaration of the results of the 2023 presidential elections had exposed him as a bitter politician and a bad loser who cannot come to terms with the reality of his defeat.
MURIC described Peter Obi as a “Trumpist” who will go to any length to bring disaster to his perceived political enemies.
The group called on National Assembly to ignore the comments made by Obi and other critics, stating that Nigeria should buy new presidential aircraft to avoid a national calamity.
The statement reads in part, "The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, yesterday, Monday 17th June, 2024 chided the Federal Government (FG) for planning to purchase new aircraft for the presidency.
"We have no iota of doubt that Peter Obi is shedding crocodile tears. His interest is not the improvement of Nigeria's economic situation or that of the common man but to bring disaster to the presidency. Peter Obi nurses evil intentions.
"Peter Obi's body language since the declaration of the results of the 2023 presidential elections has exposed him as a bitter politician and a bad loser who cannot come to terms with the reality of his defeat. Obi is a Trumpist. He will go to any length to bring disaster to his perceived political enemies.
"Little wonder, therefore, that Obi is yet to condemn his supporters for calling for a military coup months after their treasonable utterances As far as Obi and other irrational critics are concerned, they wish what happened to the Iranian President Raisi recently and the Malawian vice president last week should happen in Nigeria. God forbid!
"How many times do we have to drum it to the ears of this far right, ultra nationalist opposition cartel that the presidential jets are already worn out? They have become rickety, risky and unserviceable. They have broken down so many times during trips.
"For instance, President Tinubu had to continue his journey on a commercial plane very recently after two presidential jets broke down simultaneously.
"Also on 7th May, 2024, Vice President Kazim Shettima had to shelve a trip to the United States for the US-Africa Business Summit when the presidential jet developed a fault one hour after take-off.
"Is this not scary enough? What does Peter Obi and his co-travellers want? Yet we have no scintilla of doubt that this set of desperate opposition will be the first to send hypocritical condolence messages if their serpentine wishes for the president or his vice become fait accompli.
“But it is the duty of patriotic and compos mentis Nigerians to ensure that no such disaster occurs.”
It noted that “former President Muhammadu Buhari visited 43 countries in his eight years as president”.
It said, “On the 2015 US trip alone, he attracted N2.7 trillion investments to Nigeria.
"In like manner, President Tinubu secured a fresh $250 million investment in Nigeria and another $100 million in a waste-to-wealth industrial facility in Lagos state during his recent trip to the Hague in May 2024. It is a globalized world. We cannot do it alone.
"That is why we cannot afford to lock up our leaders and restrict their movements to the nation's borders as a result of lacking airworthy jets.
“They must go out to meet the world. Interpersonal interactions are by far more effective and more result-oriented than interaction via remote telephone discussions.
“We must not lock up Nigeria because we have economic problems. Interaction with the international community is vital for solving those problems and for general technological breakthrough.”