Bashir Ahmad, a former aide to the immediate past president, Muhammadu Buhari has taken a swipe at Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of Labour Party, over the worsening insecurity in the Southeastern region of the country.

He accused Obi of shielding the role of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB in the insecurity.

Recall that amidst the insecurity and sit-at-home issues affecting the southeast region, Obi in a statement on Thursday condemned the continued disruption of business and social activities.

In a statement issued via his Twitter handle on Thursday, the former Anambra State Governor said the situation in the South East is essentially a criminal activity that must be nipped in the bud, with the collaboration between the security agencies, and the people in the region.

He also commended the South East Governors for their renewed efforts at curbing the insecurity in the state, adding that there is a need to be more strategic and be intelligence-driven in the approach to reducing the suffering of innocent people.

He added that the rising insecurity in the North Central zone of the country, especially in Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State, and the criminal activities in the South East are all becoming very worrisome.

In his statement, Obi submitted that the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has denied responsibility for the continued sit-at-home in the southeast and called on security forces to fish out those using IPOB as a smokescreen for criminal activities.

However, his position on IPOB did not sit well with some people including Ahmad who sees the statement as an attempt to absolve the secessionist group of blame for the insecurity bedeviling the southeast.

Reacting, the former presidential media aide said such submission on IPOB should not come from a person aspiring to lead Nigeria.

Taking to his Twitter account, Ahmad wrote: “It’s frustrating how Peter Obi, for innumerable times, publicly shielded and denied the role of IPOB for excessive insecurity in the East. That shouldn’t be a character of an aspiring leader of a complex country like Nigeria.”