A Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Public Engagement, Fredrick Nwabufo, has criticised Peter Obi over the former presidential candidate’s comments concerning an ongoing legal case involving the Nigerian president in the United States.
The dispute centres on a request for the release of records linked to past investigations involving Tinubu.
Tinubu, who joined the case as an intervenor, recently asked a US district court to reject a request by Aaron Greenspan seeking the release of the records.
The president also asked the court to permit the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to continue withholding certain records and maintaining redactions in documents that have already been released.
Reacting to Tinubu’s position, Obi issued a statement titled, “A President and the Endless Question of His Past,” in which he urged the president to address questions surrounding his past rather than seek to prevent the disclosure of records he described as being in the public interest.
However, Nwabufo dismissed Obi’s comments as “ludicrous” in a post on X on Monday.
He argued that allegations surrounding the US case had previously been investigated and dismissed.
“Mr Obi @PeterObi, it is important that disciplined conversations guide the campaigns and that ideas remain the thrust of engagement,” Nwabufo wrote.
He added that there was no “imperfect past,” insisting that the issues had been “routinely investigated” and found to be false and libellous.
According to the presidential aide, the allegations had also been addressed by Nigeria’s highest court.
Nwabufo accused Obi and the opposition of repeatedly reviving the allegations ahead of elections, describing them as “tired and expired” claims.
The presidential aide also criticised Obi’s record as governor of Anambra State, alleging that his administration was characterised by religious divisions, insecurity, industrial disputes and poor infrastructure.
He cited alleged kidnappings, strikes by teachers, doctors and judicial workers, as well as what he described as extra-judicial killings and deteriorating roads.
Nwabufo urged political actors to focus on issues affecting Nigerians as the 2027 general election approaches.
He also challenged Obi to explain what he would offer Nigerians that would persuade them to support his presidential ambition.
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