Pat Utomi, a professor of political economy, has fired back at Bayo Onanuga, an aide to President Bola Tinubu on information and strategy, over an accusation that he is one of the planners of a proposed protest tagged #EndBadGovernance.
Utomi said that he had no knowledge that any protest was being planned, challenging Onanuga to present evidence to support the accusation.
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He further explained that he had been in Washington DC undergoing a fellowship and doing some research to produce a book.
He wondered how he could be linked to any protest being conceived in Nigeria.
He chided Onanuga, a known journalist, saying, “Esteem just collapsed before me.”
Esteem just collapsed before me. I used to think Bayo Onanuga was a journalist of some standing until I began to receive calls this morning about his accusing me of planning demonstrations for August. First I have been resident in Washington DC and occupied by an intense…— Pat Utomi (@UtomiPat) July 20, 2024
Onanuga was once the editor-in-chief of PM News.
“I used to think Bayo Onanuga was a journalist of some standing until I began to receive calls this morning about his accusing me of planning demonstrations for August,” Utomi said.
“First I have been resident in Washington DC and occupied by an intense Fellowship for months with additional work on a book project such that I did not even know demonstrations were being planned until I called a senior civil servant in Abuja who I sent a questionnaire on public policy reforms.
“I mentioned I would be in Ghana for events around the AU summit and he said if you will come into Nigeria careful that demonstrations in August do not make you run into flight disruptions.
“That is how I heard of protests being planned. This morning when I heard about Onanuga’s comment my inclination was to ignore it. But another caller suggested it could be a deliberate falsehood to rationalize a sinister plan. I would like Mr Onanuga to present any evidence to justify his comment.”
Onanuga stirred controversy on Saturday, when he accused Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 presidential election, of being the chief planner of the impending general protest.
He doubled down on his accusation by drawing a list of Obi’s supporters, including Utomi, allegedly helping to fuel people’s discontent against the government, even though economic hardship is a thing in the country over government policies.
REVEALED: Peter Obi’s supporters are the people planning mayhem in Nigeria: Obi should be held responsible for anarchyDon’t be fooled: the malcontents planning to stage nationwide protests are supporters of Peter Obi, the failed presidential candidate of the Labour Party. And… pic.twitter.com/9havOCZyWB— Bayo Onanuga (@aonanuga1956) July 20, 2024
Onanuga’s tweet, titled ‘REVEALED: Peter Obi’s supporters are the people planning mayhem in Nigeria: Obi should be held responsible for anarchy’, read: “Don’t be fooled: the malcontents planning to stage nationwide protests are supporters of Peter Obi, the failed presidential candidate of the Labour Party. And he should be held responsible for whatever crisis emanates from the action.”
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