Onanuga Bows To Obidients, Deletes Misleading Tweet Against Peter Obi After Backlash

The Director of Media and Publicity of the Tinubu-Shettima Campaign Organization, Bayo Onanuga, has come under criticism for spreading misinformation about the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

Onanuga, a former editor of TheNEWS magazine, on Saturday, tweeted a document dated 7th May 2007 by the Anambra State Housing Development Corporation allocating a plot of land to Obi during his tenure as governor of the state.

The Tinubu spokesperson had captioned the document, “Peter Obi claimed he never got a plot of land while Governor of Anambra State. The Labour candidate lies again. He is busted with a letter of land allocation.”

Onanuga, however, failed to publish Obi’s response to the land offer, where the LP candidate rejected the plot of land.

THE WHISTLER had in a June 2022 report detailed how the former Anambra State governor declined the land allocations, noting that he was in public office to serve and not enrich himself.

Obi in his response on 8th May 2007, said it would be wrong for him to benefit from the land allocation.

“My being governor is by the grace of God and I believe firmly that it is wrong to benefit from that. I became governor because I wish to serve my people and to do that devotedly, I believe I have to distance myself from the undue privileges of the office.

“Consequently, as I thank you for your thoughtfulness, I wish to decline the allocation based on the reasons already adduced,” Obi added.

Following criticisms from Obi’s supporters, known as Obidients, Onanuga was forced to delete the erroneous tweet. Below are some of the Twitter reactions:

@AbdulMahmud01 who posted a picture of Obi’s rejection of the allocated plot said, “Caught lying by G.O, chief propagandist of the Lagos Fuhrer, Bayo Goebbels, deletes his tweet. Na so we go dey expose them.”

Replying to the tweet, Onanuga said, “What is the lie in the tweet? I deleted because I found another letter that superseded the land allocation. Fact was PO was allotted a plot of land, which he rejected. Stop making a mountain out of a mole hill.”

@EricChimara tweeted, “Oga Bayo, there are certain posts you should allow only the 25-30 years old data boys to make. A grandfather and “seasoned” journalist like you shouldn’t be posting like a roadside puff puff seller because of political crumbs. Shame on you.”

@obumunegbu tweeted, “You mean even as a journalist that practised for many years, you never heard Obi speak on this. You were just bent of spreading Falsehood but decided to delete when you were called out. Shameful that you decided to sacrifice all you ever worked for on altar of falsehold for money.”

@_nsykak said, “A journalist of your supposed ‘standing’ now normalises putting out half-truths as legit facts & claiming ignorance of other half even when the whole gamut of the story was in the public space since pre-party primaries…& it’s all just ok right? What a season of unraveling!”