The National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Felix Morka, has denied threatening the life of the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general election, Peter Obi, his family or those around him.
But former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, has condemned the attack on Obi, saying it was not only disturbing, but a gradual move to stifle the opposition.
Obi had alleged in a post on X that Morka accused him of “crossing the line” and warned that he would “face consequences.”
However, Morka, in a statement maintained that he would continue to hold Obi and other opposition actors accountable for their actions just as they seek to, and should, hold APC-led administration accountable, when truth and public trust were compromised.
He insisted that Obi’s allegation that he threatened his life was a self-evident malicious lie and attention-seeking, playing-the-victim, and emotional blackmail.
While saying his claim was patently false and reprehensible, Morka noted that though everyone has a right to free speech, no one has a right to peddle misinformation or outright falsehood.
“The right to free speech granted by our country’s Constitution is not Mr. Obi’s exclusive right but a right that is available to all Nigerians, including Morka. Mr. Obi cannot disseminate misinformation and demand or expect that no one should disagree or challenge his false narrative.
“Ours is a democracy where every citizen, irrespective of political affiliation, is entitled to agree or disagree with other political views or opinions. More than any other Nigerian in this political dispensation, Mr. Obi has exercised his fundamental liberty to speak and disseminate his political views in person, in the formal and on social media,” he said.
Morka stressed that Obi led a restless band of online mobs, who continue to attack, intimidate, bully and issue death threats to other citizens who dare disagree or criticise Obi or his opinions or position on any subject or matter of national conversation. 
“Obi must think himself to be Nigeria’s sacred cow, the super citizen,  quintessential, without blemish, beyond reproach, always right, never wrong, and endowed with the supreme and inalienable right to deride, castigate, intimidate blackmail and incite Nigerians against other political leaders who disagree with him, even those who defeated him decisively in the last general election.
“Mr. Obi is not entitled to any monolithic or exclusive constitutional or extraterrestrial liberty over and above any other citizen. There’s no doubt that Mr. Obi has crossed the line of truth in his many assessments.
“Crossing the line of truth and peddling false narratives, arrogant unwillingness to acknowledge obvious markers of progress, mobilising outrage and stoking tension against the government are not exactly the most admirable hallmarks of leadership.”
On his part, however, Atiku said the comments by the spokesman of the ruling party was a gradual attempt to commence stifling of opposition voices in Nigeria.
The vice-president said, ”The inflammatory remarks issued by the Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Felix Morka, directed at @PeterObi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the last general election, serve as a disturbing emblem of the current administration’s unsettling strategy in addressing opposition figures.
”This threat against Obi, coupled with the prolonged detention of Mahdi Shehu, a prominent voice of dissent and others, signals a worrisome shift towards an authoritarian governance model, where the rights of opposition voices are being suffocated.
“The choice of words used by the APC spokesperson, particularly the ominous suggestion that Obi has ‘crossed the line’, reveals an alarming disdain for democratic principles.
”Such language, rooted in hostility, has no place in a free society, where civil discourse and engagement should reign supreme. A true democracy thrives on the healthy exchange of ideas, where the criticisms and contributions of opposition leaders, like Peter Obi, are seen as vital for the betterment of governance and the promotion of public accountability.
”It is not merely the right, but the solemn duty of a democratic government to listen attentively to the voices of its critics, to engage in meaningful dialogue, and to allow space for the articulation of alternative viewpoints.
“Instead, we are faced with a chilling threat that suggests Obi must ‘be ready for whatever comes his way’. ‘What, exactly, does Mr. Morka imply by this? It is imperative that the ruling party provides clarity on this disturbing insinuation.
”Equally troubling is the crude and disparaging manner in which the APC spokesperson has framed Peter Obi’s calls for constructive engagement, likening them to a lawless Wild West scenario.
”Such reckless and derogatory expressions cannot be tolerated, and it is incumbent upon the APC to issue a formal apology to Obi and the Nigerian people for such disgraceful language,” he stated.