Stop dreaming, Tinubu defeated you in the 2023 election — Presidency blasts Obi

The Presidency has asked the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, to stop claiming he won the 2023 presidential election, insisting that he lost the poll and should accept the outcome.

Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, made the remarks in a lengthy post on X while reacting to Obi’s interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme.

Onanuga said he watched part of the interview before turning it off, describing it as an unsuccessful attempt to revive Obi’s 2027 presidential ambition.

According to him, Obi made several false claims during the interview, particularly when he compared his movement across different political parties with President Tinubu’s political journey.

Onanuga argued that Tinubu has remained consistent with his political ideology, noting that the President followed the progressive political tradition from the Social Democratic Party (SDP) to the Alliance for Democracy (AD), the Action Congress (AC), the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), and eventually the All Progressives Congress (APC).

He recalled that Tinubu joined the pro-democracy struggle following the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, endured detention, went into exile and later returned to become Governor of Lagos State under the AD before playing a key role in the formation of the APC.

Addressing Obi directly, Onanuga wrote, “Tinubu remained true to his ideological persuasion: he stayed in the same lane.”

He contrasted that with Obi’s political career, noting that the former Anambra State governor was elected under the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) before defecting to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), then the Labour Party, and later the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).

“You were elected Governor under the platform of APGA in 2007. You swore with your children and even by the hospital bedside of Ikemba Odumegwu Ojukwu that you would never leave the party. Not a man of your words, you abandoned APGA after your second term and joined the PDP,” Onanuga wrote.

The presidential aide also accused Obi of abandoning political parties instead of helping to rebuild them after electoral setbacks or internal crises.

“The Labour Party fell into a serious leadership crisis after the election, with campaign funds in your possession not fully accounted for. Instead of waiting to solve the crisis and rebuild it into a formidable group like a good leader would do, you again chickened out,” he stated.

Onanuga further claimed that Obi joined the African Democratic Congress (ADC) before leaving for the NDC after allegedly realising he might not secure the party’s presidential ticket.

“It is not in doubt that if the NDC fails to deliver what you want, you are not far away from the exit door. You would shamelessly migrate to yet another party. You do not build; you always want to reap where you did not sow,” he added.

The presidential spokesman also criticised Obi for continuing to insist that he won the 2023 presidential election despite the Supreme Court’s judgment affirming the outcome of the poll.

According to him, Channels Television anchor Seun Okinbaloye gave Obi an opportunity during the interview to reconsider his position on the election, but the former governor maintained that he was rigged out.

“You lost, Peter. You didn’t win that election. You came third, and if not for the bloc vote from your ethnic group, you would have ended up a miserable third,” Onanuga said.

He acknowledged that Obi recorded a notable political performance despite lacking extensive party structures but expressed surprise that the former governor still believed he won the election more than three years after the Supreme Court dismissed his petition.

“Mr Obi, it is time you accepted the stark reality of the loss. Stop dreaming of a victory that you never had,” Onanuga stated.

The Presidency’s response comes shortly after Arise Television presenter Rufai Oseni also criticised Obi’s recent television interview, arguing that the NDC presidential candidate failed to explain how he intends to implement many of the promises he made to Nigerians ahead of the 2027 general election.

Oseni urged all presidential aspirants to move beyond campaign promises and present detailed policy frameworks that Nigerians can properly scrutinise.

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