Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga has strongly dismissed allegations by Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, that his life is under threat and that he is being deliberately targeted by the Federal Government.
Obi made the claims during an interview on a podcast hosted by media personality Chude Jideonwo, where he expressed fears that he might not be alive by the time of the 2027 presidential election. He alleged that the current administration was frustrating his activities and businesses and targeting members of the opposition.
Reacting in a post on X, Onanuga described Obi’s allegations as “unfounded and misleading,” accusing the former Anambra State governor of making baseless claims against the government.
“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,” Onanuga wrote.
The presidential aide further described Obi as a “pathological and serial liar,” alleging that he frequently attributes personal challenges to the government through “exaggeration and baseless allegations.”
Onanuga also rejected Obi’s assertion that he fears for his life ahead of the 2027 elections, describing the claim as “a fabricated narrative” intended to attract public sympathy and divert attention from what he called Obi’s “credibility deficit” and the challenges facing his political movement.
Addressing Obi’s business interests, Onanuga noted that the former presidential candidate has a significant stake in Fidelity Bank and argued that the financial institution has continued to perform strongly under the current administration’s economic reforms. He insisted that the Federal Government was not targeting the bank or Obi’s business interests.
According to Onanuga, the Tinubu administration remains focused on implementing its economic reforms and has “neither the time nor the inclination” to be distracted by Obi’s allegations or political ambitions.
The exchange follows Obi’s recent interview, in which he claimed that people are increasingly reluctant to associate with him for fear of victimization and alleged that the government is targeting opposition figures. The Presidency has firmly denied the allegations.
