DIASPORA REMARKS: ‘Nobody twisted your statement,’ Presidency fires back at Peter Obi

​The Presidency has dismissed former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi’s claim that political opponents distorted his recent address to Nigerians living abroad.

​Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, declared on Wednesday that Obi failed to clarify his remarks and insisted that no one misrepresented his words.

​The exchange follows comments Obi made during a town hall meeting in Manchester, United Kingdom, where he advised diaspora Nigerians to tell relatives begging for financial assistance to vote for productive leadership instead.

​Responding to Obi’s subsequent defense on social media, Onanuga rejected the clarification, stating that the NDC Presidential Candidate’s explanation merely reaffirmed his original position.

​“Mr Peter Obi, you failed to clarify your Manchester callous statement. Nobody twisted your statement. Thank you for affirming it again,” Onanuga wrote on his official X account.

​Obi had earlier defended himself, accusing critics of distorting his stance to paint him in a bad light. He explained that he deeply appreciates diaspora remittances that help families cover hospital bills, rent, and school fees across the country.

​“Political opponents may twist my message, but the truth remains clear: I am not asking Nigerians abroad to abandon their families. I am advocating for a Nigeria that will no longer abandon its own people,” Obi stated in his response.

​However, presidential aides maintain that Obi’s initial call asking overseas Nigerians to withhold funds from dependents demanding money at home was insensitive to families grappling with current economic challenges.

​The sharp back-and-forth signals growing political friction between the Presidency and opposition leaders as party figures position themselves ahead of the 2027 general elections.