Your allegations of being targeted untrue —Presidency reply Obi

The Nigerian Presidency has rejected claims by the presidential candidate of the New Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr. Peter Obi, that he is being targeted by the state and systematically refrained from attending social events due to official pressure.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, described Obi’s recent allegations as unfounded, misleading, and part of a fabricated narrative aimed at gaining cheap political sympathy.

Onanuga was reacting to Obi’s complaints regarding a recent incident involving his vehicle at an airport, noting that the occurrence was simply the result of the opposition leader’s team flouting established parking regulations.

The presidential spokesman stated that it is disingenuous for Obi to drag the federal government into personal inconveniences resulting from a routine traffic enforcement matter.

Onanuga also dismissed Obi’s public assertions that his life is under threat ahead of the January 2027 general elections and that event organizers are being pressured not to invite him to social gatherings.

He characterized Obi’s assertions as a page from a book of propaganda designed to deflect public attention away from his credibility deficit and the ongoing internal friction within his adopted political association, the NDC.

Refuting any plot to undermine Obi or his business interests, he alleged that Obi maintains a substantial interest in Fidelity Bank, a financial institution that continues to thrive under the current administration’s robust economic reforms.

Onanuga emphasized that the government is focused on national development rather than targeting individuals or the private entities connected to them.

According to Onanuga, the Tinubu administration remains fully concentrated on consolidating its historic economic reforms for the benefit of all Nigerians and has neither the time nor the inclination to be distracted by self-serving narratives or unverifiable utterances from opposition figures.