ABUJA, Nigeria — A senior official in the Nigerian presidency has launched a verbal attack against a prominent opposition leader.
Bayo Onanuga serves as the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to the President of Nigeria.
He recently criticized Peter Obi, who previously contested the presidency under the Labour Party (LP).
The dispute centers on the ongoing Nigerian political crisis involving party loyalty and frequent defections.
Onanuga reacted after Obi suggested he might leave his current party, the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Obi spoke during a television interview on Monday, April 13, 2026, at 8:00 PM West Africa Time (WAT).
Writing on the social media platform X, Onanuga described Obi as an opportunistic and inconsistent politician.
Consequently, Onanuga claimed that Obi has a history of abandoning various political organizations in the country.
Examining the Motives of Political Defection
Furthermore, Onanuga noted that Obi previously left the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“Peter Obi, the peripatetic, opportunistic and inconsistent politician ever to operate in Nigeria hints that he may leave the ADC, the way he left APGA, PDP and Labour. Listen to him,” Onanuga wrote.
Meanwhile, Obi defended his history of changing parties during the televised broadcast on Arise Television.
He argued that his exits were based on principles rather than a search for power.
Okay News reports that this exchange highlights the deep tensions within the current Nigerian political crisis.
Obi stated that he is prepared to move again if party processes are compromised.
“I don’t have long time in politics, if I have to move twenty times, I will do it. I cannot be talking about change, I cannot be talking about something new, you cannot use the process of yesterday to build tomorrow,” Obi said.
Internal Struggles and Future Political Alignment
In addition, Obi spoke about his departure from the Labour Party (LP).
He claimed that certain individuals deliberately tried to sabotage his efforts within that organization.
“They put fire in the house and they were shocked that I was able to escape, they thought I would be there for the fire to burn me. When I now escape they will now say Peter Obi cannot stay to put out the fire which they put,” he said.
Moreover, Obi addressed his current membership in the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
He admitted that some current colleagues were people he previously left in other parties.
However, he emphasized that their present conduct is what truly matters to him now.
“What is important is not what people were yesterday, it’s what they are today. I am in ADC with the same people, and I can tell you, some of whom I left in PDP and other parties but we are going through the same process, if that process is again compromised, I will speak out,” he said.
Finally, Obi reiterated that integrity remains his priority during the Nigerian political crisis.
“If I have to move twenty times, I will do it. You cannot use the process of yesterday to build tomorrow,” he concluded.
