The Presidency has dismissed allegations by the 2027 presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, that the federal government is targeting him and could prevent him from participating in the 2027 general election, describing the claims as “baseless” and part of a pattern of misinformation.

Special adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said Obi’s claims lacked substance and were designed to attract public sympathy.

Onanuga was responding to remarks made by Obi during an interview with media personality Chude Jideonwo on With Chude, in which the former Anambra State governor alleged that the government was frustrating his activities and suggested he might not be alive to contest the 2027 presidential election.

“I might not even be alive. Every single thing I do for a living, this government is frustrating it – deliberately so. There is even a possibility, if they have the opportunity, I will not be alive,” Obi had said.

But in his response, Onanuga described the allegation as another example of what he called Obi’s “book of lies and propaganda.”

“Peter Obi’s recent claims of being targeted by the government, citing an incident involving his car at the airport, which, by his own account, must have resulted from flouting parking regulations, are simply unfounded and misleading.

“As a pathological liar, Mr Obi is intent on dragging the government into every personal inconvenience he encounters, often resorting to exaggeration and baseless allegations,” he said.

The presidential spokesman further dismissed Obi’s claim that people were being pressured not to invite him to social events, as well as his suggestion that his life was at risk ahead of the 2027 election.

“His claim that he may not be alive for the January 2027 election and that people are being pressured not to invite him to social events is nothing more than a fabricated narrative, a page from his book of lies and propaganda,” Onanuga said.

“These claims lack substance and are designed to attract undue sympathy and deflect attention from his credibility deficit and the problems faced by his Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) and his adopted political association, the NDC.”

Onanuga also rejected any suggestion that the government was targeting Fidelity Bank Plc which is linked to Obi.

“It is important to note that Mr Obi has a substantial interest in Fidelity Bank. The institution continues to thrive under the current administration’s robust economic reforms. The government is not targeting the bank,” he said.

He added that rather than being persecuted by the government, Obi appeared to be dealing with the consequences of his public statements.

“The Tinubu government remains fully focused on consolidating its historic and beneficial reforms for the good of all Nigerians. It has neither the time nor the inclination to be distracted by Mr Obi’s self-serving narratives and lies,” Onanuga stated.