Crowds in Owerri, the Imo State capital, on Saturday staged a protest against former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi, for bringing ex-Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, to the Odenigbo Lecture Series organised by the Catholic Archdiocese of Owerri.

The protest began after both politicians arrived at the Assumpta Cathedral, venue of the annual lecture.

Obi, who was the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in 2023, had welcomed El-Rufai to Imo State a day earlier, where the former governor was also received by the traditional ruler of Nekede Ancient Kingdom, Eze Agumanu.

While El-Rufai’s visit to Nekede went without incident, his presence at a Christian gathering alongside Obi triggered outrage.

Men, women, and youths carrying placards stormed the cathedral gates, chanting war songs and accusing Obi of bringing an enemy into Igboland.

Security operatives struggled to prevent the angry crowd from blocking Obi and El-Rufai from entering the cathedral.

Many of the protesters claimed that El-Rufai’s tenure as Kaduna governor was marked by violence against Christians and therefore considered his presence in Igboland unacceptable.

Some openly declared that Obi, by associating with El-Rufai, had lost their trust and respect.

Some of their placards read, “Stop deceiving us, Peter Obi,” “El Rufai is an enemy,” and “We don’t want you in Imo State.”

“Our respect for Obi has evaporated today. By identifying with an enemy of Ndigbo, he has also made himself an enemy,” they declared.

They added, “Ndigbo will never take Obi seriously again after his open relationship with El-Rufai.”

Despite the protests, Obi and El-Rufai had attended a private meeting on Friday with key stakeholders of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, at the residence of Chief Dr C.J. Oparah in Awaka, Owerri North Local Government Area.

The closed-door session brought together several Igbo leaders, including Professor Batos Nwadike, Chief Mike Nwachukwu, Rt. Hon. Maduagwu, HRM Eze Mitchell Uchenna Egbukole of Egbu Ancient Kingdom, and Mr Nick Oparandudu, where discussions centred on the party’s structures and future direction.

However, the unrest at the cathedral overshadowed those political engagements, as the fierce reaction from the crowd forced security operatives to whisk El-Rufai away from the venue for his safety, while Obi faced chants of betrayal from angry indigenes.