A presidential aide, Bayo Onanuga, has cautioned former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, to be mindful of his statements after the former governor claimed that democracy in Nigeria had collapsed.

Obi, while speaking at the 60th birthday colloquium for former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha, in Abuja on Monday, said the progress made since Nigeria’s return to civilian rule in 1999 had been eroded.

He stated, “If you looked at where we are today, it’s like, they (the PDP) started in 1999, laid the foundation. Some people came and took it to decking, and some people were trying to take it to the first floor, when some people came and knocked everything down.

“That is the situation we are now. Everything has been knocked down and nothing works. I am somebody who can say this, exemplarily. I became a governor through the courts when President Obasanjo and Atiku were in government.

“I did not pay the court one naira. I was sitting in my office and the court declared me winner, when a governor was not seeing them. This cannot happen in Nigeria today.”

Reacting to the remarks, Onanuga, in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, dismissed Obi’s claims as exaggerated and lacking in logical foundation, insisting that democracy in Nigeria has only grown stronger over the past 26 years.

“I listened multiple times to former Governor Peter Obi’s statement in this clip, where he claims that democracy has collapsed in Nigeria. His hyperbolic remarks, suited for headlines, have been made without deep reflection and lack a solid logical foundation,” Onanuga wrote.

The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy further argued that if democracy had indeed collapsed, Obi would not have been able to express his views so freely at the colloquium.

“Only a discontented and disgruntled Peter, who benefits from the very free speech democracy provides, could perceive such a democratic downfall through his lens. If democracy had indeed collapsed, as Peter claims, and we were living under a regime antithetical to democratic principles, he would not have been able to make his comments on Monday,” he stated.

Onanuga warned Obi against making statements that could mislead the public, urging him to exercise restraint and avoid what he described as playing to the gallery.

“I will urge him to watch what he says and restrain himself from playing to the gallery,” he added. (The PUNCH: Text, Excluding Headline)