By G9ija
The Campaign Council of the Labour Party has dismissed allegations made by musician Seun Kuti, who claimed that the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his family do not pay taxes to the Anambra State government where Obi previously served as governor.
Seun, who is the son of the late Afrobeat icon Fela Kuti, made these accusations during a heated social media debate with fellow musician Peter Okoye, also known as Mr. P of P-Square.
During an interview with Channels TV’s Seun Okinbaloye on the “Mic On Podcast”, Seun Kuti characterized Peter Obi as the internet’s favorite, a capitalist, and an opportunist who is not capable of delivering for Nigeria.
These comments, however, sparked the wrath of Mr. P who used his social media platforms to criticize both Seun and the Kuti family.
“Dude just erased his father’s history. You said only the people of Nigeria could save Nigeria. Is PO (Peter Obi) and the rest candidates not the Nigerian people? SHAME SHAME SHAME,” Mr P wrote in a now-deleted tweet.
In response, Seun Kuti released a viral video that was seen by newsmen on Thursday. In the video, he claimed that the Labour Party’s flag-bearer and his family left Anambra State in an underdeveloped state, and instead invested the money they made in Nigeria in Panama.
Kuti said, “Why is Obi family’s money in Panama? He said the money belongs to his family; whose family is supposed to be paying tax to Anambra State if not Obi’s?
“Obi’s family, with all their money, they’re not paying tax in Anambra State; that’s why Anambra cannot have good roads, good schools and good hospitals; because rich people in Anambra, like Obi, hide their money in Panama far away from the Nigerian government.
“If Obi loves Nigeria, why is his family hiding money away from us to tax? Panama is a tax haven any money in Panama, the Nigerian people cannot see (access) it to benefit our lives; meanwhile, he’s making his money in Nigeria, and has no business in Panama.
In response to these allegations, the Director General of Peter Obi’s Campaign Council, Mr. Akin Osuntokun, dismissed them as frivolous during an interview with newsmen on Thursday.
Osuntokun said, “I’m not aware of any such allegation. But it looks frivolous on the face of it. If he wants to be taken seriously, it (the allegation) should be taken to the Nigerian tax authorities.”
Additionally, the spokesperson for the Peter Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign Council, Yinusa Tanko, stated that Obi and his family have been consistently paying their taxes.
Tanko said, “I’m surprised by the comment because Seun, whom I met at the airport in Benin on our way back to the country, sounded like someone that was convinced about Obi’s candidacy.
“Also, Seun is not a revenue tax collector. However, if he’s in doubt, he could go and verify. Obi and his family have been paying their taxes, and Obi generates tax for Anambra State.”