Presidency reacts to Peter Obi’s safety concerns

PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that Mr Obi suggested that his life was under threat because Mr Tinubu’s government was constantly frustrating and targeting him.

The Presidency has refuted claims by the 2027 presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, that he is being targeted by the President Bola Tinubu government.

PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that Mr Obi suggested that his life was under threat because Mr Tinubu’s government was constantly frustrating and targeting him.

But reacting in a post on his X handle on Wednesday night, Bayo Onanuga, the special adviser on information and strategy to Mr Tinubu, described the claims as “unfounded and misleading.”

“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,” Mr Onanuga said.

“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,” he added.

The presidential aide accused the NDC candidate of “dragging the government into every personal inconvenience” he encounters and even resorting to “exaggeration and baseless allegations.”

He mocked Mr Obi’s reference to an incident at an airport where officials allegedly locked his car, arguing that the incident must have resulted from the NDC candidate’s “flouting parking regulations.”

Peter Obi’s bank thriving under robust economic reforms

Mr Onanuga claimed that Mr Obi has “substantial interest” in Fidelity Bank and the bank has continued to thrive as a result of Mr Tinubu government’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,” he stated.

The presidential aide said Mr Tinubu’s government is not distracted by Mr Obi’s claims, but remains “fully focused” on delivering beneficial reforms for Nigerians.

“It (the government) 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 added.