Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to President Bola Tinubu on information and strategy, says Peter Obi’s claims that he may not be alive for the 2027 elections were designed to “attract undue sympathy”.

In an interview with Chude Jideonwo, Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), accused the federal government of deliberately frustrating his means of livelihood and targeting opposition figures.

The former Anambra governor alleged that everything he does for a living is being deliberately obstructed by the government.

“The way they are going… not even as a candidate, I might not even be alive. I’m telling you,” Obi said.

In a statement posted on X on Wednesday, Onanuga said Obi’s claim “is nothing more than a fabricated narrative, a page from his book of lies and propaganda”.

The presidential spokesperson accused the former governor of making the claims to deflect attention from the challenges facing the NDC.

“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,” the statement reads.

“These claims 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.

“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.”

Onanuga said Tinubu is “fully focused” on consolidating his reforms and does not have the time for “Obi’s self-serving narratives and lies”.

The Presidency on Monday dismissed calls by the Nigerian Democratic Congress’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, for President Bola Tinubu’s resignation as “childish, hollow and an unworthy distraction.”

It cited economic data on Tinubu’s performance in the past three years, arguing that it contrasts with Obi’s own record as governor of Anambra State.

In a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the Presidency said Obi’s latest comments were an attempt to undercut the APC’s victory in the just-concluded Ekiti governorship election and the senatorial by-elections.

Onanuga said Obi’s comparison of Tinubu’s situation to that of the British Prime Minister Kier Starmer, who resigned hours earlier, exposed the former Anambra governor’s misunderstanding of Nigeria’s constitutional architecture.

He argued that Obi’s verdict that Nigeria was in its “worst possible condition” did not match verifiable economic data and global assessments of the administration’s performance.

The statement read, “Peter Obi’s latest comments calling for President Bola Tinubu’s resignation, based on a comparison with the British Prime Minister’s voluntary exit, are not only misplaced but also reflect a selective and distorted view of Nigeria’s realities since 2023.

“His view is also simplistic, as is often the case anytime he opens his mouth. Obi forgets our country does not run a parliamentary system of government like the UK.

We run a presidential system, with the president elected to a fixed four-year term.

“The people of Ekiti State and the senatorial constituents in Nasarawa, Enugu, Ondo and Rivers have just delivered a resounding victory for President Tinubu and his party. The election results, some early referendum of sorts, show that President Tinubu and his party are popular with Nigerians.”

The Presidency warned Obi that the results of the recent elections were more ominous for his own political future than for Tinubu’s.

“This should be more concerning for Peter Obi and his new Special Purpose Vehicle, NDC, as we move towards the January 2027 election.

“Obi should wait until the presidential election to know what the people think of Tinubu’s government.

“Moving to use X to harangue the President out of office is off the mark and anti-democratic,” the Presidency stated.

On security, the Presidency cited a series of operational successes it said Obi had deliberately ignored.

It said over 15,000 terrorists had been removed from the streets and forests, hundreds of hostages have been rescued through high-profile operations in Borno and the North-West, and terrorist kingpins have been neutralised with the support of foreign allies.

The statement said Tinubu had “not only sustained but also expanded investments in security by deploying advanced technologies and drones, and by appointing a Special Adviser on Homeland Security to ensure a holistic approach.”

Referring to Obi’s record in office, the Presidency said, “It is laughable that Obi, who as governor was a colossal failure, unable to secure lives and property in his small state of Anambra, as documented by his successor, Willie Obiano, is now the one calling for President Tinubu’s resignation over security breaches in some parts of the country.”

On the economy, it argued that its data did not support Obi’s characterisation of national decline.

It disclosed that Nigeria’s economy had posted positive GDP growth in every quarter since May 2023, surpassing the global average; that trade surpluses had been recorded consistently; and that foreign reserves had risen to over $50bn.

“Oil production has risen from less than one million barrels per day to about 1.8 million, reversing years of decline.

“Federation revenue is projected to hit over N30tn this year, far above the 2022 level of N7.7tn.

“By May this year, N15.7tn has already been collected, more than twice the entire revenue collected in 2022,” the statement read.

It also highlighted the trajectory of the stock market under Tinubu, saying, “The stock market has soared, with the All-Share Index rising from 50,000 to over 250,000, creating wealth for about six million Nigerian investors.

“The naira-to-dollar exchange rate has been stable. Foreign direct and portfolio investments are at record highs, reflecting renewed investor confidence, especially in the oil and gas sector.”

The Presidency also described as one of the most under-reported successes of the administration, the absence of any disruption to the academic calendar in three years.

It said, “Are conditions worsening in our country when, in three years of Tinubu’s leadership, we have recorded no disruption of the academic calendar by trade unions such as ASUU or NASU?

“That is one of President Tinubu’s campaign promises to our students: a four-year programme will be a four-year programme.

“It has been a promise well kept, which Obi, in his penchant for bad news, has never sung about and will never acknowledge.”

The Presidency also kicked against what it called Obi’s deliberate misquotation of Tinubu’s campaign promise on electricity.

It said Tinubu never promised Nigerians 24 hours of electricity daily, and that Obi and his followers had been wilfully distorting the record.

“What he actually said on that occasion in Lagos, and which Obi and his followers have consistently misquoted for the sake of mischief, was: ‘Whichever way, by all means necessary, you will have electricity, and you will not pay for estimated bills anymore.

“A promise made will be a promise kept. If I don’t keep the promise and I come for a second term, don’t vote for me, unless I give you adequate reasons why I couldn’t deliver’,” the statement read.

It said Tinubu’s first policy action after assuming office was the signing of the Electricity Act, which decentralised power generation, transmission and distribution to states.

It added that millions of prepaid meters had been deployed and seven million more were planned, while off-grid solar installations are expanding across schools, hospitals and markets nationwide.

However, the Presidency acknowledged that the high cost of living remained a challenge, but attributed it in part to global disruptions, including the impact of the Middle East conflict, the American-Israeli strike on Iran and the subsequent closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which it said disrupted global commodity supply chains just as Nigeria’s inflation was beginning to recede.

In a post shared on X, Obi said his call for Tinubu’s resignation was inspired by developments in the United Kingdom, where he reflected on a Monday speech by the British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, announcing his planned resignation.

“This morning, I listened to the British Prime Minister’s speech announcing his planned resignation in July.

“As a keen observer of global politics, my primary interest lies in examining what successful nations do right and the structural factors that cause others to lag or struggle with governance and development,” Obi wrote.

Obi ran against Tinubu in the February 2023 presidential election on the Labour Party ticket, finishing third with approximately 6.1 million votes, behind Tinubu’s 8.8 million and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, who scored 6.9 million votes.

In May 2026, he moved to the Nigeria Democratic Congress, where he clinched the party’s ticket for his 2027 presidential bid.