Presidential Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has strongly criticized Peter Obi over claims that the Federal Government is targeting his life and frustrating his businesses.
Onanuga dismissed the allegations as “unfounded” and a “fabricated narrative” meant to attract undue public sympathy.
His reaction followed claims by the presidential candidate for the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) that he was being targeted by the Tinubu administration.
During an interview on With Chude, hosted by Chude Jideonwo, Obi alleged that the Tinubu-led administration was frustrating his activities and suggested he might not even be alive to contest the 2027 presidential election.
He cited an incident where his vehicle was stopped at an airport and expressed fear that he might not survive to see the January 2027 general election.
Obi said: “Not even a candidate. I might not even be alive. I’m telling you.
“Every single thing I do for a living, this government is frustrating it. Deliberately so. Everything. So, there is even a possibility, if they have the opportunity, I will not be alive.”
Obi also alleged that people were being pressured not to invite him to public events and maintained that he was being persistently targeted by the government.
Reacting in a post on X on Wednesday, Onanuga rejected the allegations, insisting that Obi was attempting to portray personal inconveniences as government persecution.
He wrote, “Peter Obi’s recent claims of being targeted by the government—citing an incident involving his car at the airport, which, by his own account, must have resulted from flouting parking regulations—are simply unfounded and misleading.
“Mr Obi is intent on dragging the government into every personal inconvenience he encounters, often resorting to exaggeration and baseless allegations.
“His claim that he may not be alive for the January 2027 election and that people are being pressured not to invite him to social events is nothing more than a fabricated narrative, a page from his book of lies and propaganda.
“These claims lack substance and are designed to attract undue sympathy and deflect attention from his credibility deficit and the problems faced by his SPV and his adopted political association, the NDC.”
The presidential aide also dismissed suggestions that the Federal Government was targeting Fidelity Bank because of Obi’s interest in the financial institution.
“It is important to note that Mr Obi has a substantial interest in Fidelity Bank. The institution continues to thrive as a result of the current administration’s robust economic reforms.
“The government is certainly not targeting the bank. Rather than being ‘haunted’ by the government, Mr Obi appears to be grappling with the consequences of his litany of unfounded statements,” Onanuga further noted.
The presidential aide concluded by saying the Tinubu administration remained focused on governance rather than political distractions.
“The Tinubu government remains fully focused on consolidating its historic and beneficial reforms for the good of all Nigerians.
“It has neither the time nor the inclination to be distracted by Mr Obi’s self-serving narratives and lies or by his candidacy, as he constantly diminishes himself with specious, unverifiable utterances,” he said.
