Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga has accused former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi of failing to acknowledge the achievements of politicians who governed the state before and after his administration.
Onanuga alleged that Obi has consistently criticised his predecessors and successors while rarely acknowledging their contributions to the development of Anambra State.
Gists9ja reports that the presidential spokesman made the claims in a commentary titled “Deconstructing Peter Obi (1).”
According to Onanuga, there is a perceived double standard in Nigeria’s public discourse when Obi’s political record is discussed.
“There is this dangerous trend in our public discourse whereby there are two sets of standards: one for everyone else and another for H.E. Peter Obi,” Onanuga said.
He further claimed that Obi had never been publicly known to commend any of his predecessors or successors in office.
According to the presidential spokesman, Obi spent his eight years as governor criticising former Anambra governors Chinwoke Mbadinuju and Chris Ngige, and continued to criticise those who succeeded him after leaving office in 2014.
Onanuga also criticised some of Obi’s media supporters, including Valentine Obienyem, whom he accused of helping to promote what he described as a favourable public image of the former governor over the years.
“He is the only next big thing after God. And indeed, to his credit, the media packaging has worked,” Onanuga said.
The comments come amid renewed political debate over Obi’s eight-year administration in Anambra State, particularly claims concerning the state’s debts, savings and projects completed during his tenure.
The Anambra State Government has challenged some of Obi’s claims regarding the state’s financial position when he left office, while Obi and his supporters have disputed the government’s account.
The latest exchange adds to the growing public debate over the former governor’s record in Anambra and the competing narratives surrounding the state’s finances and development during and after his tenure.
