Presidency slams Obi, labels him ‘Nigeria’s prophet of doom’

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Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, has branded Peter Obi, former governor of Anambra State, as Nigeria’s foremost “prophet of doom.”

Onanuga made the remarks on his X (formerly Twitter) page on Friday, responding to the New Year’s message by Obi, the 2023 Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate.

In his message, Obi had commented on the nation’s economic challenges and the rising poverty levels under Tinubu’s administration.

In his reaction, Onanuga criticised Obi for “recycling his pessimistic and gloomy wishlist for Nigeria” at a time when citizens were celebrating.

He dismissed Obi’s assertion that the country’s political, economic, and security conditions were deteriorating daily, calling it “misleading and a ploy to gain cheap political points.”

He wrote, “While Nigerians celebrated the new year with hope for a more glorious 2025, Peter Obi, former Governor of Anambra State and presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, was seemingly stuck in a replay of his jangling, gloom-ridden wishlist for our country.

“Obi’s New Year message, in which he claimed that our dear country’s political, economic and security situation is worsening daily, is misleading and appears intended to score cheap political points.

“This claim, at a time when all indicators show that our country is rebounding in significant measure across all sectors, casts Obi, squarely, as Nigeria’s leading doomsayer.”

Obi had on Thursday stated that the government had failed to adequately tackle the nation’s escalating economic, political, and security crises over the past two years.

He emphasised that Nigeria’s challenges are visibly deteriorating, with its fortunes steadily declining, citing current indicators as clear evidence of the country’s downward trajectory.