Presidency, has dismissed claims linking President Bola Tinubu to the political challenges facing former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, describing such allegations as unfair and misleading.
Reacting to comments from Obi’s media team, presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga said President Tinubu should not be blamed for Obi’s political decisions, including his exit from the Labour Party and his reported challenges within the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
“I wonder why all these incompetent politicians are turning President Bola Tinubu into their favourite whipping boy. The President has nothing to do with Obi’s abandonment of the Labour Party or the jam he appears to have run into in the ADC,” Onanuga stated.
The presidential spokesman accused Obi of failing to show leadership during the crisis that rocked the Labour Party after the 2023 general elections.
“After using the Labour Party to vie for the highest office in the country, Obi dumped it in a classic case of use-and-dump. He failed to demonstrate leadership in resolving the party’s crisis,” he said.
Onanuga further criticised Obi’s association with the Obidient movement, which he described as largely online-driven, noting that Obi failed to convert the support base into a viable political structure.
“Instead, he went to the embrace of his IPOB base, the so-called Obidient movement, which is more active online. You would think the man would transform the movement into a political party. But no, he didn’t do any such thing. He is just incapable of building an organic party of his own,” he added.
He also alleged that Obi’s move to the ADC was driven by political convenience rather than strategy, claiming that the party had been taken over before Obi’s involvement.
“Because he knows he needs a political structure to realise his doomed dream of winning the presidency, he shopped for a cooked soup to partake in the ensuing party. The peripatetic politician moved to the hijacked ADC, an SPV bought by Atiku Abubakar from Ralph Nwosu. No due diligence appeared to have been conducted by the new owners, and thus, the nightmare they are confronting today,” Onanuga said.
The presidential spokesman maintained that President Tinubu had no connection whatsoever to the internal crisis within the ADC.
“What is the connection of Tinubu with the ADC crisis? Absolutely none. Whatever problem they have is self-inflicted. Obi and his co-travellers need to get their acts together, clear the mess in their new party and then compete for the presidential ticket,” he said.
Onanuga also urged Obi and his allies to resolve internal disputes within the party, referencing dissatisfaction among some ADC stakeholders.
“Let them go and settle with Nafiu Gombe and other disenchanted ADC members. As of now, Obi, without being made a candidate, is inconsequential for 2027. The fact that he came third in 2023 does not mean he will have the same showing in 2027, if he ever becomes a candidate of any party,” he stated.
He further emphasised that the political dynamics ahead of the 2027 elections would differ significantly from 2023.
“2023 is not like 2027. President Tinubu is an incumbent with many achievements to flaunt, most of which Obi has been blind to acknowledge. First things first. Let the man become a candidate first,” Onanuga said.
Describing the allegations against President Tinubu as unfounded, the presidential spokesman concluded that the criticisms amounted to political blackmail.
“All this blackmail against the President is sheer baloney, a very unfair attempt to besmirch his democratic credentials,” he added.