The Peter Obi Media Office has denied accusations from presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, who linked the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to an alleged plan to protest against the Tinubu administration.
The media office called these allegations “wild, wicked, and baseless,” suggesting that the presidency aims to use these claims as a pretext to arrest Obi.
On Saturday, Onanuga posted on his verified X handle, alleging that Obi’s supporters are organizing nationwide protests to destabilize Nigeria and stage a “civilian coup” against President Bola Tinubu.
Onanuga accused the protest organizers of impatience, unwilling to wait for the 2027 election, and connected them to the October 2020 ENDSARS protest, which turned violent.
He urged security agents to investigate the “agents of destabilization” behind the planned demonstrations.
In response, Yunusa Tanko, spokesman for Peter Obi’s media office, issued a statement refuting these accusations. Tanko described the allegations as part of a plot to arrest Obi and restrict his freedom and activities, especially his advocacy for good governance, which the presidency finds threatening.
“The unsubstantiated allegations are being orchestrated to arrest Obi, limit his freedom and association, and stop his propagation for good governance which they find injurious to their lavish lifestyle,” Tanko stated.
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The media office emphasized that Peter Obi has never been associated with violence, even under provocation, and has always focused on issues without attacking individuals.
The statement continued, “Peter Obi, by his mien in and out of political office, has not in any way shown or been associated with violence even in the most obvious provocations.”
Tanko further claimed that the presidency has hired “multiple attack dogs” to discredit Obi and prevent him from reaching the Nigerian public, who are eager to hear his views.
“These spine doctors and hirelings, to justify their pay, indulge in all kinds of falsehood ostensibly to distract Obi and confuse Nigerians who already see Obi as a soothing balm in the current turbulent political and economic environment,” he added.
The media office urged Nigerians to dismiss the presidency’s “cheap blackmail,” reaffirming that Obi and his supporters remain committed to their vision of a better Nigeria.
“POMR, therefore, wishes to urge Nigerians to ignore the Presidency’s cheap blackmail as Obi and the Obidient family all over the country and in the diaspora remain resolute in their search for a new Nigeria that is possible and would not be cowed or be made to lose focus,” the statement concluded.