You Are Too Old to Be Telling Lies, Peter Obi’s Aide Tackles Bayo Onanuga Over Trump Allegation

By Our Correspondent

Peter Obi’s media aide, Val Obienyem, on Wednesday lambasted presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga over what he described as a “dangerous pattern” of persistent misinformation targeted at his principal.

In a strongly worded statement titled “Bayo Onanuga’s Dangerous Pattern,” Obienyem faulted Onanuga’s claim that the Labour Party presidential candidate invited former U.S. President Donald Trump to Nigeria.

He described the allegation as “completely false” and reflective of an ongoing trend of reckless public assertions.

“For the record, Mr. Peter Obi has never met President Trump, nor is he seeking to meet him now,” Obienyem said.

He recalled that the latest allegation was not the first time the presidential aide had made what he termed unfounded claims about Obi, noting that Onanuga had previously accused the former Anambra State governor of sponsoring last year’s nationwide protest and of being linked to a purported coup plot for which some individuals were arrested.

Obienyem questioned why “a man in his seventies” would consistently make statements he described as unbecoming of the high office he occupies.

“His conduct repeatedly suggests that he neither understands the gravity of the office he occupies nor the dignity that the position demands,” he stated.

The aide contrasted Onanuga’s approach with that of past presidential spokespersons such as Segun Adeniyi, Reuben Abati and Femi Adesina, whom he said discharged their duties with “restraint, professionalism and honour” at a much younger age.

“It is therefore baffling that Mr. Onanuga, despite being far older, is the one diminishing the stature of a position meant to embody credibility and responsibility,” he added.

Obienyem stressed that in a period of fragile national cohesion and strained public trust, government communicators must speak with truth and responsibility, as their words reflect directly on the administration they represent.

“It is imperative that Mr. Onanuga rises to the demands of his office or refrains from actions that further erode the credibility of the government he represents. If it is the problem of old age, he should honourably retire. Nigeria deserves better,” he said.