“Portable Mourns: ‘If It Were Tinubu, We’d Have Gotten Something’ After Meeting Obi”

Nigerian singer Portable has publicly expressed his disappointment following a meeting with Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate. The two crossed paths over the weekend in Benin, the capital of Edo State. Obi was in town to support Olumide Akpata, the Labour Party’s gubernatorial candidate, while Portable was there for a performance.

In a video that has since gone viral, Portable is seen excitedly approaching Obi’s car, bowing as he greets the former Anambra State governor. Despite the warm interaction, Portable’s enthusiasm was short-lived. Shortly after the meeting, the singer appeared visibly disheartened and voiced his frustration, lamenting that Obi did not give him any money.

Speaking in Yoruba, Portable, whose real name is Habeeb Okikiola, expressed his discontent by comparing Obi unfavorably to President Bola Tinubu. He suggested that Tinubu would have been more generous in such a situation, saying, “Obi didn’t give us anything. If it was Tinubu, he would have given us something. Let’s go.”

Portable first gained widespread attention in December 2021 with his hit single “Zazoo Zeh,” featuring Olamide and Poco Lee. Since then, he has frequently been in the spotlight, often for controversial reasons. This latest incident adds to his pattern of publicized interactions, highlighting his expectations of financial gestures from political figures.