Ibrahim Abdulkarim, director-general of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) campaign council, says Peter Obi, the party’s presidential candidate, travelled quietly to the United States for a two-day meeting and is now in Calabar, Cross River state, for a town hall.

In an interview with TheCable on Wednesday, Abdulkarim described reports that the former Anambra governor was exhausted from campaigning as “a pure lie”.

Sam Omale, deputy spokesperson of the NDC campaign council, had on Tuesday attributed Obi’s exhaustion to a series of recent campaign activities.

Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, Omale said Obi had been advised to rest because of his hectic schedule, which involved travelling between cities and attending multiple engagements.

Omale was responding to concerns about Obi’s health following his recent rally in Enugu, after which the NDC candidate reportedly said he would take a break.

The deputy spokesperson, however, maintained that Obi was in good health and that the exhaustion would not affect his campaign activities.

Abdulkarim dismissed the exhaustion reports, saying Obi met with some of the party’s candidates in Lagos after returning from the US.

“He travelled. He left for the US for a two-day meeting. We didn’t announce it because we don’t want people in the US to start booking meetings to see him,” he said.

“And we need him to come back and go for another campaign in Calabar today. So, he went in quietly and had a meeting in Washington.

“He came back and had a meeting with candidates in Lagos yesterday evening. Now, he is in Calabar doing a town hall meeting.

“Is that the person you said is exhausted? It’s just a pure lie. It’s those in opposition that are peddling the disinformation.”

Abdulkarim’s comments follow a post on X by Bayo Onanuga, special adviser on information and strategy to President Bola Tinubu, who taunted Obi over the reported exhaustion.