Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga has accused former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi of failing to fully account for funds raised during the 2023 general election campaign while also dismissing Obi’s recent comments on his political career.
Onanuga made the remarks in a statement issued after Obi’s interview on Channels Television on Sunday, where the former Anambra State governor discussed his political journey and future ambitions.
According to the presidential spokesman, Obi’s television appearance, which he claimed was aimed at reviving his 2027 presidential bid, instead attracted widespread criticism.
Responding to Obi’s comparison of his movement across political parties with that of President Bola Tinubu, Onanuga argued that the President has consistently remained within Nigeria’s progressive political family since the early 1990s.
He explained that Tinubu moved through the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Alliance for Democracy (AD), Action Congress (AC), Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and eventually the All Progressives Congress (APC) following the 2013 merger.
Onanuga contrasted this with Obi’s political journey, noting that he was elected governor under the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), later joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), contested the 2019 presidential election as Atiku Abubakar’s running mate, moved to the Labour Party ahead of the 2023 election and has since aligned with the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The presidential spokesman also alleged that the Labour Party was thrown into a leadership crisis after the 2023 elections and claimed that campaign funds in Obi’s possession had not been fully accounted for.
“The Labour Party experienced a leadership crisis after the 2023 elections, with campaign funds in Obi’s possession not fully accounted for,” Onanuga alleged.
He further accused Obi of leaving political parties instead of remaining to rebuild them after electoral setbacks or internal disputes.
On the outcome of the 2023 presidential election, Onanuga maintained that Obi did not win the poll, noting that the election results were upheld by the courts, including the Supreme Court.
He urged the former Labour Party presidential candidate to accept the outcome of the election and focus on future political activities rather than continue to insist that he was denied victory.
