Peter Obi Denies Urging Military to Reject Tinubu Salary Increase

Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress, has rejected claims that he instructed armed forces personnel to decline a salary increase announced by President Bola Tinubu. In statements released across social media platforms on Tuesday, Obi characterized the reports as false and called on Nigerians to disregard them completely.

According to the accounts from multiple news outlets, the controversy centered on whether Obi had advised military members to wait until after the 2027 general elections before accepting any pay improvements. Obi's clarification directly addressed this allegation, stating he had never made such a request to the armed forces or any of its personnel.

Obi emphasized his long-standing respect for the military establishment and reaffirmed his commitment to enhancing the welfare of security personnel should he win the presidency. He argued that his actual position had been taken out of context, noting that his previous comments focused on broader concerns about military readiness and operational effectiveness in tackling security challenges across Nigeria.

The former governor of Anambra State stressed in his statement that improving compensation and living standards for those in uniform has always been part of his platform. He used the platforms of both X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook to reach a wide audience with his denial, underlining the importance he placed on correcting what he viewed as a deliberate mischaracterization of his stance on military welfare matters.