Bayo Onanuga has come under fresh political pressure to substantiate his description of former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi as “clueless,” “overhyped,” “overrated” and a “spectacular failure,” after Obi’s media office challenged him to produce evidence for the sweeping claims.
The Obi camp said Onanuga’s attack was long on labels but short on figures, rankings and specific evidence showing where the former governor failed.
The media office asked the presidential aide to identify the policies, measurable outcomes or performance indicators that informed his verdict on Obi’s tenure.
Rather than trade insults, the team said it responded with figures, rankings and comparisons it argued could be used to assess Obi’s record in office.
The development has renewed the political battle over Obi’s eight-year tenure in Anambra, particularly his administration’s record on education, fiscal management and other areas frequently cited by his supporters.
The Obi camp maintained that political criticism was legitimate but insisted that serious claims about a public official’s performance should be backed by verifiable evidence.
It challenged Onanuga and other critics to produce contrary figures if they dispute the records being cited in defence of Obi.
The media office’s position was that calling Obi a failure repeatedly would not, by itself, establish that his administration failed.
With the 2027 elections approaching, the dispute is likely to deepen the broader battle over Obi’s record and whether his performance in Anambra supports his supporters’ claim that he represents a different model of governance.