The son of presidential candidate Mr. Peter Obi, has, Oseloka Obi, for the first time, spoken publicly about his personal life and his father’s ambition to lead Nigeria.
In a strongly-worded statement released on Thursday, August 21, 2025, Oseloka pushed back against recent online smear campaigns and misleading narratives targeting him, calling them distractions from Nigeria’s more urgent problems.
He also firmly expressed his support for his father’s presidential campaign, based on competence and merit.
In a heartfelt letter addressed to Nigerians, Oseloka explained that he had long chosen silence in the face of “vitriol, scorn, and suspicion,” but felt compelled to speak now due to what he called relentless and malicious falsehoods.
“Because of my father’s involvement in Nigerian politics, there has been a persistent curiosity — and, at times, malicious obsession — with me,” he wrote. “I have no social media presence and no interest in maintaining one, so I rarely correct these falsehoods. But perhaps it is time I address them.”
He emphasized that he is not involved in politics and urged people to stop interpreting his private choices as political messages. “To assume that my life or choices are somehow political statements is a flawed and childish calculation. It reveals more about the pettiness of those spreading such narratives than it does about me or my father,” he said.
A professional actor, Oseloka addressed public misconceptions about his career, making it clear that, despite his father’s business and economic background, he pursued a different path in the arts. Rejecting claims of nepotism, he stated: “I was raised to know that my father’s wealth is not mine, and that I must build my own life.”
Responding to altered claims based on circulated images, he said: “These are not revelations. They are not exposés. They are simply misrepresentations; fiction spun from pictures. What is being circulated is gossip.”
He further argued that the focus on his personal life is misplaced and detracts from the critical issues Nigeria is facing. “Our nation still struggles with insecurity, a weakened economy, crumbling infrastructure, failing healthcare, and politicians who steal from the people they swore to serve. And yet, for some, the priority is to spread gossip about who Peter Obi’s son appears with in a photo. This is a distraction from the real crises that matter to all Nigerians.”
Reaffirming his support for his father, he wrote: “My father has my vote, not because he is my father, but because he is the right man for the job. If others wish to go low, invent scandals, or attack me to wound him, they are free to do so. But we will go high, and we will continue to focus on the future of Nigeria.”
He closed his letter by affirming his dedication to the values he was raised with: honesty, diligence, and service to others.
Here is Oseloka Obi’s statement in full:
Dear Nigerians,
I have refrained from engaging with the vitriol, scorn, and suspicion directed at me online because I was not raised to trade in lies or to indulge in false narratives.
I did not do so as a child, and I will not begin now as a grown man.
Because of my father’s involvement in Nigerian politics, there has been a persistent curiosity — and, at times, malicious obsession — with me. Why? I do not know. I have no social media presence and no interest in maintaining one, so I rarely correct these falsehoods. But perhaps it is time I address them.
I understand that gossip follows those connected to public life. But let me remind you: my father is the one in politics, not me. To assume that my life or choices are somehow political statements is a flawed and childish calculation. It reveals more about the pettiness of those spreading such narratives than it does about me or my father.
This pattern has become all too familiar: individuals opposed to my father seize ordinary photos of me — images that are neither hidden nor secret — and repackage them with false stories. These are not revelations. They are not “exposés.” They are simply misrepresentations; fiction spun from pictures. I have seen this happen to others but experiencing it myself repeatedly is deeply unsettling. Still, I want it to be known clearly: what is being circulated is gossip.
I am an actor by profession. Many are surprised, given the businessman, entrepreneur, and economist my father is. I’m sure he imagined I might follow that path — yet, though my career is far from what he envisioned, he supports me fully. Unlike many children of Nigerian politicians, I have never relied on nepotism. I was raised to know that my father’s wealth is not mine, and that I must build my own life. My chosen path is in theatre and filmmaking, so far from the world he inhabits — an industry that embraces diversity of class, race, sexuality, and identity. I portray characters vastly different from myself, yet some online use these roles against me and my father, presenting fiction as fact.
I trust any rational person can see how absurd this is.
More importantly, Nigeria has far greater issues than idle speculation about what Peter Obi’s son is doing. Our nation still struggles with insecurity, a weakened economy, crumbling infrastructure, failing healthcare, and politicians who steal from the people they swore to serve. And yet, for some, the priority is to spread gossip about who Peter Obi’s son appears within a photo. This is a distraction from the real crises that matter to all Nigerians.
The truth is simple: Peter Obi’s son appears in photos with his friends and colleagues, nothing more. If people wish to invent otherwise, I hope they sleep soundly knowing they are spreading lies.
Nor I nor my father are perfect men, and as father and son we have our differences. But I can attest to his integrity and his relentless desire to lead Nigeria out of its current hardships. In our home, as a child, the lesson was always clear: face your work, do it honestly, and contribute to the good of others.
That is what I will continue to do.
So, to those who attempt to distract us with lies: I beg you, stop pulling attention away from Nigeria’s urgent problems.
My father has my vote, not because he is my father, but because he is the right man for the job. If others wish to go low, invent scandals, or attack me to wound him, they are free to do so.
But we will go high, and we will continue to focus on the future of Nigeria.
With love,
Oseloka.