The presidential flag bearer of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, has reacted to stories making the rounds that a company linked to him and his family, Next International (UK) Ltd, was liquidated by the UK authorities for failing to make tax returns for a period of time.
Reacting to the story in a statement issued by the Obi-Datti Media Office on Wednesday, the former Anambra State Governor dismissed speculations about the company’s liquidation, explaining that the owners voluntarily liquidated the firm as it was no longer in operation.
The statement also indicted political opponents of being behind the story in their bid to bring down the Labour Party and its presidential candidate’s giant strides to “make political capital out of the development.”
The statement signed by Diran Onifade, Head of the Obi-Datti Media Office, said:
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“For the record, the entity was 99% owned by Next Nigeria International Ltd., and established as its buying office in the 90s and Peter Obi was its CEO.
“At the time Peter Obi became governor of Anambra State in 2006, his wife assumed management of the winding down of the company and about one year ago, requested that the company be dissolved under the voluntary strike off of the entity on grounds of dissolution and being inoperational, which is normal in winding up an entity.
“Peter Obi has consistently maintained that he is no longer involved in any Next related business,” the statement said.
Onifade added that those twisting the said liquidation of Next International (UK) Ltd. have run out of what to use in attacking Obi.
“When our Principal insists that you go and verify facts about him and the information he dishes out, it doesn’t say go and falsify facts.
“The LP candidate by his antecedents in Anambra State for eight years, in private ventures where he held sway his records among the pack in this race for the Presidency, puts him miles ahead in moral rating,” the statement said.