The Presidency has dismissed allegations by former Anambra State governor and Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, that he is being targeted by the Federal Government, describing the claims as false and misleading.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said Obi’s recent comments about an incident involving his car at the airport and his claims of political persecution were without merit.
According to Onanuga, “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.”
The presidential aide also accused the former presidential candidate of repeatedly making allegations against the government without evidence.
“As a pathological and serial liar, Mr Obi is intent on dragging the government into every personal inconvenience he encounters, often resorting to exaggeration and baseless allegations,” he said.
Reacting to Obi’s assertion that he might not be alive for the January 2027 general election and that people were allegedly being discouraged from inviting him to public events, Onanuga dismissed the claims outright.
“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.”
He added that the allegations “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.”
Onanuga also addressed concerns relating to Fidelity Bank Plc, in which Obi has declared an interest, insisting that the Federal Government was not targeting 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.”
The presidential spokesman maintained that 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.”
