Isaac Fayose, the brother of former Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose, has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, and special adviser on information and strategy, Bayo Onanuga for their consistent attacks on Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate.
On Saturday, July 20, 2024, Onanuga accused Peter Obi of instigating the nationwide protest scheduled to take place at the end of the month on social media.
His comment has since received backlash from Nigerians who dismissed his claim.
Isaac Fayose, along with many others slammed Onanuga for his remarks. He advised Tinubu’s Minister and special advisers to learn from Lai Mohammed, who served as the Minister of Information under former President Muhammadu Buhari from 2015 to 2023.
According to Fayose, Lai Mohammed defended Buhari’s government without blaming any one for the country’s issues.
He warned that any attempt to arrest Peter Obi would worsen their problems.
He said, “The federal government is blaming Peter Obi for the protest. You don’t miss Lai Mohammed? As bad as Buhari’s government was, Lai Mohammed would still come out and defend Buhari’s government. But you see the people handling this government, from the information minister to SA, all of them, they do not know how to work.
The country is saying things are hard, which they can feel, their neighbours can feel it, their driver can feel it. They know things are hard even if they are not in that position as Minister or SA, they too will be among us the wailers saying things are hard and they know the truth. Instead to confront the truth, Nigeria needs restructuring so the country can move forward, you are there saying that Peter Obi is organizing protest.
If you arrest Peter Obi. It will make your situation worse. The best thing is to look at changing the system, give us a new constitution that can accommodate all these problems. But if you’re saying that Peter Obi is Labour, you all will loose.”
Human rights activist Shehu Mahdi also called out Bayo Onanuga for his claims about Peter Obi. He stated that the Labour Party presidential candidate has no involvement in the protest. Any claims from the presidency about his involvement are false and should be seen as mischievous.
He explained that the protest is a response to the directionless and hardships in the country. He added that it is mischievous and childish for Onanuga to accuse Peter Obi of being behind the protest.
JUST IN: “Peter Obi doesn’t have any hand in the coming protest.” 🪧
— Peter Obi Grassroots Mobilization. (@PO_GrassRootM) July 21, 2024
—— Mahdi Shehu pic.twitter.com/jOF39CaWdw
