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Tag: Peter Obi

  • Kenneth Okonkwo denies leaving Labour Party, affirms continued membership

    Kenneth Okonkwo denies leaving Labour Party, affirms continued membership

    Nollywood actor and lawyer cum  politician, Kenneth Okonkwo has denied reports that he has left the Labour Party.

     

    Speaking on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme on Tuesday, Okonkwo affirmed his continued membership in the party.

    “First of all, let me say I am embarrassed by your comment. I am just hearing it from your media station that I dumped the Labour Party. And I put up the statement that I made so that I wouldn’t be misconstrued. So, where did you get that from? It’s not certainly from the statement that I made. I am still a full-fledged member of the Labour Party,” he stated.

     

    When asked if he remains a member of the Labour Party, he replied affirmatively, “Yes, absolutely.”

     

    Okonkwo continued, “There’s no crisis in the Labour Party as it relates to me. There’s crisis in the Labour Party as relates to the NWC, which failed to organise an all-inclusive convention. And I thought that the leader ought to have taken a decisive decision to ensure, having seen that the convention did not hold against his instruction, that there’s an organised and all-inclusive convention according to court judgement and past agreement.”

     

    Previously, Okonkwo, a chieftain of the Labour Party, had announced his decision to cut ties with Mr. Peter Obi, the presidential candidate, and the party due to concerns over Obi’s leadership style and his ability to address national issues. He questioned Obi’s capability to secure electoral victories and confront the country’s ‘kakistocrats’ and ‘kleptocrats’ head-on.

     

    The veteran actor emphasized his need for a more decisive, bold, and brave leader with integrity and team spirit to achieve his vision for Nigeria.

  • BREAKING: Peter Obi backs August nationwide protest

    BREAKING: Peter Obi backs August nationwide protest

    Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in 2023 General Election, Peter Obi has thrown his weight behind the planned nationwide protest over the current economic hardship.

    Some youths are planning a nationwide protest between August 1 and 15 against the rising cost of living and economic hardship.

    Speaking on Sunday after a meeting with Governor Alex Otti of Abia State, Obi, however, said protesters must carry out the act within the ambit of the law.

    He also charged security agencies to be law-abiding, saying protest is allowed globally.

    “Within the Nigerian constitution, protest is allowed. All I plead for is that those who are protesting is to do so within the law and in a civil manner that allows us as a nation to show that we live within the law. Everybody knows that things are difficult.

    “When they talk about sponsors of the protest, I always say the sponsors are very simple. It’s hunger and hopelessness among the youth, so we all have to listen to what Nigerians are going through.

    “What I will say to the security agencies is that they should ensure they manage the situation again within the law. We should not strive to be over-bearing. It should be something that we will do within the law. There is nothing wrong. Protest is allowed globally. People also protest in my house.

    “It is for us to listen to those who are protesting. Why are they protesting? Engage them. That is what governance is all about. There is nothing wrong with that. I was Governor for years and people protested,” Peter Obi said.

  • A deeply patriotic Nigerian who always gave me useful advise – Obi mourns Iwuanyanwu

    A deeply patriotic Nigerian who always gave me useful advise – Obi mourns Iwuanyanwu

    The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour party (LP) Peter Obi has expressed sorrow over the death of the president-general of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, describing it as devastating and heartbreaking.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that the 82-year-old died after a brief illness on Thursday, his son confirmed.

    Mourning the businessman in a post on X, Obi said: “I am greatly disheartened by the death of an elder statesman and President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu. The devastating report of his death has left all who knew him heartbroken.”

    Eulogising Iwuanyanwu, Obi said: “He was not just a father to many, but a bridge builder who remained committed to the peaceful coexistence of all groups in the nation. He was undoubtedly a deeply patriotic Nigerian whose desire for justice, equity, progress and development of the nation transcended tribal boundaries. Chief Iwuanyanwu was one of those revered father figures who have always given me useful advice.”

    Obi said he recalled visiting him at the hospital on July 11 with the secretary-general of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Okey Emuchey. The Labour Party leader said Iwuanyanwu promised him that he would recover from the ailment.

    “I sincerely condole with his immediate family, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, and the entire nation over the death of this revered patriarch. May God grant us all the fortitude to bear his sad loss and grant him eternal rest,” Obi added.

  • Arrest Obi, face severe consequences – Ex-SGF, Babachir tells Tinubu

    Arrest Obi, face severe consequences – Ex-SGF, Babachir tells Tinubu

    A former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, has warned the Federal Government to desist from arresting the former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi over planned nationwide protests.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that Lawal while speaking with journalists dismissed the allegation of Tinubu’s media aide, Bayo Onanuga, that Peter Obi and the Obidient Movement were sponsoring the proposed protest tagged #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria.

    Recalled Nigerians particularly the youths who complained about hardship have planned to stage national protests to draw the government’s attention to their plight.

    But the presidency fingered the former Anambra governor, saying he was the protest, warning of the consequences.

    Speaking to newsmen, Lawal said, “Bola Tinubu (president) should not use a forceful approach with the protesters. They mean well for the country. If they go out to protest and there is an attempt to forcefully stop them, that will be the catalyst for chaos.

    “Tinubu should remove Bayo Onanuga from his position because he doesn’t mean well for his government. His outbursts are inflaming Nigerians rather than pacifying them. When you are in government, you don’t insult the people.

    “I don’t know if Onanuga was the spokesman of the Motor Park Touts Association before he got his current appointment. They said he is educated, but it doesn’t show in his behaviour. He has an in-built disdain for people, and it shows in the way he talks.

    “I don’t expect a presidential spokesman to come out and say the planned protest is being organised by Peter Obi. If Obi had the character that Onanuga is ascribing to him, this government would have been down a long time ago.

    “How can you say Obi has anything to do with the protest? Even to complain, Obi will not let you accompany him.

    “It is one of the reasons why some of us just kept away from him. When you insult him, he will not reply. He will just go about doing his own business.”

    Lawal dared the government saying, “Let them arrest him if that is their plan and see the consequences. I know that is what Onanuga is working towards.

    “Anyone asking Tinubu to arrest Peter Obi doesn’t mean well for him. It is like they took cyanide with their own hands and swallowed it.

    “I really don’t know what Onanuga’s problem with Igbos is. Igbos are good people. They are our classmates from primary, secondary schools to university. They are our business partners; they are our neighbours.

    “We buy things from them. An Igbo man in my village is the one selling local gin (ogogoro). He left his village and settled down in my village. He is married and has farmlands.

    “Tinubu is a good man, but he is surrounded by sycophants like Onanuga who will not tell him the truth,” Lalwal said.

  • Planned Protest: ‘We shall meet in court’ – Bayo Onanuga replies Peter Obi

    Planned Protest: ‘We shall meet in court’ – Bayo Onanuga replies Peter Obi

    Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser on Communications and Strategy to President Bola Tinubu, has responded to Peter Obi’s threat of a lawsuit. Obi, the former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, demanded a retraction and apology from Onanuga for alleging that Obi and his supporters were behind planned nationwide protests against the Tinubu administration.

     

    In a letter from his lawyer, Alex Ejesieme, Obi demanded N5 billion in damages and an apology from Onanuga within 72 hours.

    In response, Onanuga stated on his official X account on Tuesday that he has yet to receive the letter and is not afraid of legal action, saying, “We shall meet in court.”

  • Peter Obi sues Tinubu’s aide, Onanuga for 5bn over anarchy claims

    Peter Obi sues Tinubu’s aide, Onanuga for 5bn over anarchy claims

    The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi has demanded from the Special Adviser on Communication and Strategy to the President, Bayo Onanuga, the retraction of his wild allegation, linking him as behind the planned mass protest being planned for August.

    Obi, writing through his counsel, Alex Ejesieme, SAN of the MADIBA Chambers, said that the allegation which was widely published in social and mainstream media maligned his hard-earned reputation as a man who indulges in violence when all his antecedents are vivid that he abhors violence even in the face of extreme provocation.

    “We have our Client’s mandate to demand that you retract the statement made in the publication and tender an unreserved apology to him within 72 hours of the receipt of this letter in not less than 4 National Dailies to wit: Vanguard, This Day, Punch and the Cable, including your verified ‘X’ handle ‘@aonanuga1956’.

    “Our Client also is making an unequivocal demand for monetary damage of N5,000,000,000 (Five Billion Naira) only for the embarrassment your defamatory publication has caused him and his family,” the letter read.

    Recall, Onanuga, without evidence, claimed that the protest, promoted on social media with hashtags such as ‘EndBadGovernance’ and ‘Tinubu Must Go,’ is an attempt to destabilizlse Nigeria due to Obi’s loss in the last presidential election.

    According to the presidential aide, the protest organisers are the same individuals involved in the 2020 ENDSARS protests, which were infiltrated by separatist elements.

    Onanuga further warned that the planned demonstrations could lead to anarchy and said the former Anambra governor should be held accountable for any resulting crisis

    Obi has vehemently denied the allegations as false and malicious.

  • Arrest Obi and see what happens – Charly Boy to Presidency

    Arrest Obi and see what happens – Charly Boy to Presidency

    Veteran Nigerian entertainer, Charles Oputa, popularly known as Charly Boy has dared President Bola Tinubu to arrest the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi.

    This comes after Peter Obi Media Reach (POMR), over the weekend raised an alarm over a plot to frame  Obi, to pave the way for his arrest.

    It would be recalled that the Bola Tinubu- led administration on Saturday accused supporters of the former Anambra governor of sponsoring the planned nationwide protests against economic hardship.

    President Tinubu, through his Special Adviser on Media and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, without evidence, alleged that the protest organisers are the same individuals involved in the 2020 ENDSARS protests, which were infiltrated by separatist elements.

    Onanuga further warned that the planned demonstrations could lead to anarchy and said the former Anambra governor should be held accountable for any resulting crisis.

    Reacting to the development, Charly Boy questioned the reason for holding Obi responsible for a protest anchored on the hardship in the nation.

    He further dared the Presidency to arrest Obi and see the consequences.

    Speaking via his X account, he wrote, “Abeg I wan understand something, so Nigerians – BAT supporters join – wan gather protest against Tinubu’s bad government and horrible tenure, but na Peter Obi dem wan hold accountable by arresting am? Okay na!!

    “Let’s go! Make una try that arrest and see what will happen as una think say una dey untouchable therefore can do anything. We dey dey look and wait”.

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  • Obi supporters tackle presidential aide, Onanuga over call for arrest

    Obi supporters tackle presidential aide, Onanuga over call for arrest

    Supporters of Presidential Candidate of Labour Party (LP), in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, yesterday, said the alleged surreptitious plot by Obi and his followers to cause violence and mayhem in Nigeria, and call for clamp down on him and his supporters, by special adviser on information and strategy to the President, Bayo Onanuga, is not only reckless, divisive and unfounded but unsubstantiated.

    They also condemned in strong terms Ononuga’s ethnic and bigoted rhetoric, and fanning the flames of ethnic sentiments to divide and distract Nigerians.

    The Presidential Aide, Bayo Onanuga, over the weekend, alleged that Peter Obi and his followers are planning violent protest against the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and therefore called on security agencies to arrest Peter Obi for questioning.

    A statement by National Coordinator of the New Nigeria Now group – Obi supporters, called on President Tinubu to caution his media aide against use of threat and inflammatory language, on respected and peaceful leaders and Nigerians.

    “It is crucial to reiterate that Mr. Peter Obi is, without a doubt, the most humble, tolerant, and peaceful politician in Nigeria today. His exceptional leadership qualities and commitment to peaceful coexistence are exemplary. Even his greatest enemies and opposition parties can attest to his unshakable dedication to maintaining a high level of decorum and respect, even in the face of provocation.

    “Despite being subjected to daily insults, character assassination, and name-calling by individuals like Reno, Bwala, and Bayo himself, Mr. Peter Obi consistently chooses to maintain issue-based politics,” the statement said.

    The supporters said that the former Governor of Anambra State often instructs them to ignore their provocations and not engage with them on their level, saying, “Leave them in their lowliness.”

    The statement revealed that Obi always asks, “Will this provocation reduce the high cost of food items and suffering of the people?”

    Obi the supporters said, always chooses to maintain his humility and commitment to issues of good governance.

    According to the statement, this demonstrates his remarkable ability to rise above petty politics and focus on the greater good, such as education, healthcare, and pulling people out of poverty.

    “It is astonishing that Bayo Onanuga would attempt to misrepresent Mr. Peter Obi’s character and accuse him of being involved in violence. This is a blatant lie, and we won’t stand for it. Mr. Peter Obi is the vanguard of change in Nigeria, and his patriotic conduct has been a beacon of hope for the country.

    “All Nigerians must reject the sinister antics of Bayo Ononuga who want to continue to exploit Nigerians for their self-interest. They are the real enemies of our country who have held us down for sixty-three years,” they concluded.

  • Labour Party kicks as Onanuga drags Peter Obi into planned nationwide protest

    Labour Party kicks as Onanuga drags Peter Obi into planned nationwide protest

    Mr Bayo Onanuga, a presidential aide, has accused supporters of Mr Peter Obi, Labour Party’s candidate in the 2023 presidential election, of planning protests across the country.

    Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, who was emphatic that Obi’s supporters were planning to stage nationwide protests, said that Obi would be held responsible for whatever crisis that emanated from the action.

    “The protest planners are also the same people who were instigated by IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu to launch the destructive ENDSARS protest in Nigeria in October 2020,” Onanuga wrote on his official X account.

    “ENDSARS began as a genuine protest by youths against the Police Special Anti-Robbery Squad, notorious for its high-handedness.

    “IPOB members planning to extricate the South-East region from Nigeria infiltrated the protest and hijacked it for their own agenda.

    “Lagos still bears the scar of the malicious destruction until today,” Onanuga added.

    He said that two years after ENDSARS, IPOB and the gullible innocents joined the Labour Party in 2022 to support Obi, who he said was a sympathiser of their cause.

    “They are the people spreading the hashtags ‘EndBadGovernance,’ ‘Tinubu Must Go,’ and ‘Revolution2024.’ They are not democrats but anarchists.

    “They are attempting to call out our people via propaganda because their Messiah, Peter Obi, failed to win the Presidency in the 2023 election.

    “As bad losers, they don’t have the patience to wait for another election in 2027; they would rather destabilise Nigeria by staging a civilian coup against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he said.

    According to him, if they understood the meaning of their hashtags, they will realise they are clarion calls for treason; wanting to end an elected government is high treason, wanting revolution is a call for a coup d’etat, which is also high treason.

    “I have been on the trail of one of the protest planners, who is nameless but claims to have an internet radio station, PTM100.88 Abuja.

    “The anonymous person joined X in August 2022 and has 520 followers today, among whom are FS Yusuf, another rabid Obi supporter, and Prof. Pat Utomi, a Labour Party chief, and a guy on X who goes by the pseudonym Peter Obi’s First Son.

    “PTM’s profile image has someone holding the inscription ‘Certificate Forger Not My President,’ with a photo of Peter Obi as an inset. Only Obi’s supporters will be talking about certificate forgery long after the Supreme Court dismissed the allegation,” Onanuga wrote.

    He said that in the past 24 hours, this X user had been whipping up the gullible to join the protest being planned and also posting the activities of Obi.

    In one of the posts, he said a video showed a teenager, who was said to be in the North, printing T-shirts emblazoned with “EndBadGovernance in Nigeria 2024.”

    There is also a retweeted post by Babatunde Gbadamosi, who he described as a failed and frustrated politician in Lagos. In it, he refers to his earlier post urging people “to identify APC members, sponsors, supporters, enablers, thugs, promoters, and appointees.”

    Onanuga said the police and DSS ought to have arrested the man for making a brazen threat to political opponents.

    He said there was also “General Oluchi,” a woman by the screen name “A Field Marshall of the Han Dynasty.”

    “She has been sending out letters of mobilisation. She even pinned a ‘Week 6’ letter urging Nigerians to wake up and take control of their country, using the language of IPOB, Peter Obi, and his supporters.

    “Another member of the malcontents is Brother Bernard, also known as Mikael C. Bernard. He is not based in Nigeria because he was once busted over Binance and fraudulent crypto businesses in Nigeria.

    “Bernard was the man who once wrote that the naira should go down to zero,” said Onanuga.

    In a reaction to Oluchi, Bernard said the protesters should remove the increase in salaries for the armed forces as part of their demands.

    “If they want an increment in salary, let them launch their own protest. It is not our job to fight for enablers of evil,” Bernard wrote on X, according to Onanuga.

    However, an X user reminded Bernard that according to Nigerian law, men of the armed forces don’t protest.

    “Security agents should, by now, begin to interrogate these agents of destabilisation.

    “There is no country in the world where people are not going through some economic challenges and where the cost of living is not a major issue.

    “No country is immune from economic turbulence at the moment. Civilised and democratic people wait for another election to make leadership changes. They don’t trigger mayhem in their countries by staging protests, the end of which nobody can predict,” said Onanuga.

    He added that Nigerian citizens must consider the government’s attitude and concern about the cost of living crisis when deciding whether to join the protests.

    “The Tinubu government has not been found wanting in this regard. The minimum wage has been increased by more than 100 percent. Loans are being disbursed to students in tertiary schools.

    “A credit corporation has been launched to promote consumption credit. Palliatives, including the latest distribution of 740 trucks of rice to the 36 states and Abuja, are being rolled out.

    “Businesses, such as pharmaceuticals, are being assisted. The Federal and state governments are investing heavily in agriculture to produce more food,” he stated.

    According to him, the economy is improving, inflation is slowing, the national debt has been reduced in dollar terms, and the FIRS has increased revenue generation to record levels.

    “Investors are coming back to our country. Our stock market is the best in the world, with a 33 per cent return on investment.

    “President Tinubu has a four-year mandate to run his agenda. Those calling for protest should wait till 2027 to either re-elect him or elect their Messiah, Mr Peter Obi,” said Onanuga

    However, the Labour Party, in a statement by Obiora Ifoh, its National Publicity Secretary, has said that the party is known for being peaceful and has, on several occasions, asked its followers to follow peace at all times.

    “The attention of the leadership of the LP has been drawn to a tweet from one of the presidential aides, Mr Bayo Onanuga, linking it and its national leader Peter Obi, and very many notable figures in the LP, to the proposed protest.

    “We say that there is no truth in that. Labour Party is known for being a very peaceful party and it has, at several occasions, asked its followers to follow peace at all times.

    “We are not known as a lawless group, as was evident in the aftermath of the last general election.

    “It is, therefore, wrong for anyone to link our supporters to the planned protest. Labour Party, Peter Obi and our supporters are not planning any protests,” Ifoh said.

  • You are delusional – Labour party slams presidency over Obi behind nationwide protest claims

    You are delusional – Labour party slams presidency over Obi behind nationwide protest claims

    The Labour Party has reacted to the claims by the presidency that the party and its former-presidential candidate, Peter Obi are behind the planned nationwide protest which is slated to hold in August.

    The party through its spokesman, Obiora Ifoh described the claims from Special Adviser to the President in Media and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, as delusional and puerile.

    Recall, Onanuga on Saturday alleged that Peter Obi and his supporters are the promoters of the protest.

    In what he said was a revelation, Onanuga screamed, “Peter Obi’s supporters are the people planning mayhem in Nigeria: Obi should be held responsible for anarchy,” without clarifying if the security agencies had uncovered any plot.

    He directed that “he (Obi) should be held responsible for whatever crisis emanates from the action.”

    He described Obi as “a sympathiser” of the cause of Indigenous People of Biafra or IPOB, whose leader Nnamdi Kanu has been in detention facing treason charges.

    According to Onanuga, “They (IPOB) are the people spreading the hashtags ‘EndBadGovernance’, ‘Tinubu Must Go,’ and ‘Revolution2024’.”

    Reacting, Ifoh in a statementsaid “there is no truth” in what the presidency said describing it as “just the author’s figment of his imagination.”

    He said the Labour Party is known for being a very peaceful party and it has at several occasions asked its followers to follow peace at all times.

    “We are not known as a lawless group as was evident in the aftermath of the last general election.

    “It is therefore delusional for anyone to link our supporters to the planned protest,” adding, the “Labour Party, Peter Obi and our supporters are not planning any protests.”

    He argued that “peaceful protests all over the world are initiated and executed by the people and not by the opposition. No opposition has any control over protests.

    “Popular protests such as in Kenya, Egypt and several other places were a direct registration of the people’s frustration against the government.

    “The people have the right to protest and it is within their constitutional right,” the party said.

    He added that “It is therefore puerile for the government or anyone for that matter to begin to look for who to blame for the bad governance that is being witnessed in Nigeria today.

    “Nigeria can still get it right if the right policies are initiated.

    “We also advise that some aides of the presidency must be cautioned to avoid incendiary pronouncements capable of combusting the nation, all in the name of playing politics,” the party said.