Peter Obi does not explain claims of being targeted by Tinubu’s government

Peter Obi, the 2027 presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has not given details on how President Bola Tinubu's government is targeting and frustrating him.

Obi suggested that his life is in danger because Tinubu's government constantly frustrates him. The NDC candidate and former governor of Anambra State made this claim in July during a podcast with media personality Chude Jideonwo.

"Every single thing I do for a living, this government is frustrating it. Deliberately so. So, there is even a possibility, if they have the opportunity, I will not be alive," he said.

Obi mentioned a specific incident at an airport where officials allegedly locked his car, while other vehicles were parked in the same area.

Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to Tinubu on information and strategy, denied the claims. He called them "unfounded and misleading."

The Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, also denied Obi's airport claims. He explained that CCTV footage from the airport showed Obi's vehicle parked unattended for about 30 minutes in a drop-off zone, which goes against airport rules.

Keyamo asked Obi to pay a N25,000 fine for breaking airport rules and to apologize to Nigerians for saying his vehicle was "unjustly" clamped at the airport.

Ignored enquiry

On 13 August, PREMIUM TIMES reached out to Obi’s media aide, Valentine Obienyem. He asked our reporter to send a letter of enquiry via WhatsApp, which was done right away.

In the enquiry, PREMIUM TIMES asked Obi to name his businesses and their locations that he claims are being targeted by the Nigerian government.

The newspaper also wanted to know how and when he and his businesses were allegedly targeted by the government. Obi was asked to provide specific details on his claims of an unjust clampdown, especially since Keyamo had denied his earlier claim about the airport incident.

He was also to give details on the benefits he was denied or had difficulty obtaining, even though he was entitled to them.

The politician was further asked to share specific cases where people were targeted or attacked after he accepted their invitations or attended their events.

"We would appreciate any relevant documents, evidence, dates, locations or other information that may assist us in properly understanding your concerns and allegations," the enquiry stated.

After weeks of silence, our reporter sent a reminder to Obienyem on 9 September.

The reporter also sent a WhatsApp message to Obi using his known mobile number, introducing himself and letting him know he would send a letter of enquiry, which was done immediately.

Obi and Obienyem did not respond to separate WhatsApp calls on 18 September.

However, our reporter sent more reminders to their WhatsApp lines that same day. Obi still did not reply, but Obienyem asked the reporter to resend the enquiry the following day, which was done immediately.

After another 11 days without a response, the reporter sent separate reminders to Obi and Obienyem on 30 September. But they remained silent again despite the repeated reminders.