The presidency has rejected claims by former Anambra State governor Peter Obi that the Federal Government is targeting him, calling the allegations completely baseless. Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to President Bola Tinubu on information and strategy, dismissed Obi's recent statements in a tweet posted on Wednesday, July 8, 2026.
Onanuga specifically addressed Obi's account of an airport incident involving his car, saying the former Labour Party presidential candidate was fabricating a persecution narrative. "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," Onanuga said.
The presidential aide went further, accusing Obi of habitual dishonesty and of constantly making unsubstantiated claims against government officials. He said Obi repeatedly drags the administration into personal matters and resorts to exaggeration.
"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 told reporters.
Onanuga also rejected Obi's claims that he might not survive to witness the January 2027 general election and that people are being discouraged from inviting him to public events. He described both assertions as pure fiction.
"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 presidential spokesman said.
According to Onanuga, Obi's allegations lack any credible foundation and exist solely to gain sympathy while diverting attention from his own problems. "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 noted.
The presidential aide also addressed concerns about Fidelity Bank Plc, in which Obi holds substantial financial interest, saying the government is not waging any campaign against the institution. He stressed that the bank continues performing well under current economic reforms.
"The institution continues to thrive as a result of the current administration's robust economic reforms. The government is certainly not targeting the bank," he said.
Onanuga maintained that the Tinubu administration remains committed to governance and won't be distracted by what he called Obi's self-serving narratives. "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," he added.
