Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate Peter Obi has broken his silence over the controversy surrounding his wife, Margaret’s, luxury handbag, which social media users estimated to be worth as much as N250 million.
Speaking during an interview in Washington, DC, on Monday, Obi said his wife has her own business and her own money, adding that he has no problem with how she spends it as long as she does not interfere with his management of public funds.
“My wife has her own business and her own money, so what is my business if she buys expensive items with her money?” Obi said.
“The bags and shoes my wife wears, I don’t even know how much they cost. In fact, she is actually a bit less sophisticated now.”
Obi’s response comes after a viral video showed Margaret carrying what fashion watchers identified as a Hermès Kelly 35 in Malachite, a bag listed on the Hermès website for £131,938.81 — roughly N237 million at current exchange rates .
The presidential candidate also recalled that he never operated an Office of the First Lady during his time as Anambra State governor, stressing that he does not celebrate his own birthday but does not stop others from celebrating theirs .
The controversy erupted after images and videos circulated online showing Margaret Obi at what appeared to be an airport, dressed in green and carrying the luxury bag. The sighting quickly became a political talking point, with critics questioning whether the expensive accessory was consistent with Obi’s long-cultivated image of frugality and his repeated calls to reduce the cost of governance .
Lere Olayinka, media aide to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, seized on the images to accuse Obi of presenting himself as prudent while his family lives a life of luxury. “The issue is, her husband should stop lying and presenting himself as a prudent person,” Olayinka wrote in a post on X. He added that if Margaret could buy such a bag as a private citizen, Nigerians could “guess the cost of bags she will buy with public funds” .
Media personality Daddy Freeze also weighed in, saying he had no problem with the bag itself but questioned Obi’s public claims of owning only one pair of shoes and one watch. “If you market yourself as extremely prudent, I promise you a 250 million Naira Hermès bag is not a sign of being prudent,” Freeze said .
Human rights lawyer Deji Adeyanju described the criticism as unnecessary but urged Obi to “be yourself” and stop what he described as “drama and acting” .
‘i have a track record of reducing governance cost’
While addressing the handbag controversy, Obi also used the occasion to reiterate his record on reducing the cost of governance during his tenure as Anambra governor.
“When I was governor, the budget for refurbishing my office was N298 million, but I did everything with N48 million. There was also a budget of N486 million to refurbish my house, but I completed everything with N81 million,” Obi said.
The presidential candidate also spoke about official travel costs, saying he refused to travel with the large entourages typically associated with governors. “As a governor, you are supposed to travel with 30 people to several places. Over the years I was governor, I didn’t use 16 per cent of my travel allowance because I wasn’t travelling with anybody,” he said .
