Furious Obi Pushes Back on Wife’s Alleged N250m Hermès Handbag: ‘She Has Her Own Money—What’s My Business?’

By Uche Aghulor

Peter Obi has pushed back strongly against the controversy over an expensive designer handbag reportedly carried by his wife, Margaret, insisting that her personal spending has nothing to do with either his famed frugality or his record in public office.

The former Anambra State governor and 2027 presidential hopeful was responding to questions generated by claims circulating online that his wife had been spotted carrying a Hermès handbag reportedly valued at about N250 million.

Obi said Margaret is independently engaged in business, earns her own money, and is entitled to decide how she spends it.

“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.”

The controversy has attracted particular attention because Obi has for years cultivated a political identity built around personal modesty, fiscal discipline, and prudent management of public resources.

Critics have consequently sought to contrast that image with the reported price of his wife’s handbag, while his supporters argue that expenditure from her private income has no bearing on her husband’s advocacy for responsible management of taxpayers’ money.

Obi firmly embraced the latter distinction, arguing that his obligation as a public official was to safeguard public funds—not dictate how his wife spent legitimately earned private income.

He said Margaret had, in fact, been considerably more fashion-conscious before he became governor of Anambra State.

“In fact, she is actually a bit less sophisticated now. She used to be far more sophisticated before I became governor,” he said.

According to Obi, what mattered to him during his years in government was ensuring that members of his family neither interfered with government business nor benefited improperly from public resources.

“I’m managing public money, and as long as she lives her own life without interfering with my management of public funds, good luck to her,” he said.

He pointed to his decision not to operate an Office of the First Lady while serving as governor as evidence of the separation he maintained between his family and the machinery of government.

“I didn’t even have an Office of the First Lady while I was governor,” he said.

Obi also used the discussion to reiterate his personal preference for an austere lifestyle, saying he does not celebrate his own birthday, although he has no objection to other people celebrating it.

“I don’t celebrate my own birthday, but I don’t stop people from celebrating. As long as you don’t ask me to pay the birthday bills, I will even attend if you invite me,” he said.

The handbag controversy has continued to generate debate online, with critics questioning whether the reported luxury purchase sits comfortably alongside the austere political image associated with Obi, while his supporters insist that Margaret Obi’s private finances should not be conflated with her husband’s management of public money.