The political arena has been set ablaze once again as Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, launched a scathing critique of Peter Obi’s eight-year tenure as the Governor of Anambra State. In a statement that has quickly gone viral, Onanuga didn’t just disagree with Obi’s policies; he flat-out labeled his administration a “failure.” According to the Presidential spokesperson, the “frugality” and “prudence” that have become the hallmarks of the Peter Obi brand are nothing more than a smokescreen for a period of zero growth and missed opportunities for the people of Anambra.
Onanuga’s verbal grenade focused on what he describes as a lack of tangible infrastructure and the alleged rise of poverty during Obi’s time in office. He argued that while Obi was busy “saving money” in banks, the state was starving for development, leaving his successors with the heavy lifting of actually building modern Anambra. The aide’s critique suggests that Obi’s “success” is a carefully curated media myth that falls apart under the scrutiny of historical data. This latest attack marks a significant escalation in the ongoing war of words between the current administration and its most vocal opposition leader, as both sides begin to sharpen their knives for the 2027 political cycle.
The reaction from the “Obidient” camp has been swift and fierce, with supporters flooding social media with receipts of Obi’s educational reforms and his legendary handover of a debt-free state. However, Onanuga remains unmoved, doubling down on the narrative that saving money while citizens suffer is a leadership “malpractice” rather than a virtue. As the debate rages on, this clash underscores a deep ideological divide in Nigerian politics: one side championing the accumulation of liquid assets and the other demanding visible, high-impact infrastructural investment.
