The Presidency has dismissed recent claims by former Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, that he is being targeted by the government, describing the allegations as unfounded, misleading and a deliberate attempt to attract public sympathy.
In a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, the Presidency said Obi’s account of an incident involving his car at the airport was self-inflicted and likely resulted from flouting parking regulations. “These claims lack substance and are designed to attract undue sympathy and deflect attention from his credibility deficit,” the statement said.
Onanuga accused Obi of being “a pathological and serial liar” who is intent on dragging the government into every personal inconvenience he encounters. The Presidency also rejected Obi’s assertion that he may not be alive for the January 2027 election and that people are being pressured not to invite him to social events, calling it “nothing more than a fabricated narrative, a page from his book of lies and propaganda.”
The statement further noted that Obi has a substantial interest in Fidelity Bank, which it said continues to thrive under the current administration’s 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 stated.
The Presidency also linked the claims to attempts to divert attention from challenges within Obi’s political circle. It said the allegations were meant to shift focus away from “the problems faced by his SPV and his adopted political association, the NDC.”
Reaffirming the administration’s priorities, the Presidency said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government remains focused on consolidating historic and beneficial reforms for 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,” the statement added.
The Presidency urged political actors to engage in responsible discourse and avoid spreading unverified claims. It said the Tinubu administration will continue to work on policies aimed at economic stability and national development, rather than respond to what it described as propaganda.
