The defection of former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi, to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has triggered a sharp war of words between the Presidency and the opposition, with an aide to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar accusing Aso Rock of panicking ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Reacting to comments attributed to the Presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, Atiku’s Special Adviser on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, said the Presidency’s response reflected anxiety rather than confidence, arguing that Obi’s defection had exposed deeper fears within the ruling camp.

In a statement issued on behalf of the former Vice President, Shaibu said Onanuga’s remarks fell short of the restraint expected from a presidential spokesperson, describing the tone as defensive and unbecoming.

“As media adviser to President Bola Tinubu, this outburst says more about panic in Aso Rock than it does about Peter Obi,” Shaibu said.

“You did not write as a media manager; you wrote as a defender under pressure. And pressure replaces reason with ridicule and facts with abuse.”

He accused the Presidency of hypocrisy, noting that branding Obi as “wandering” was ironic given Nigeria’s long history of political defections.

“Calling Obi ‘wandering’ while defending an administration built on political migrations and elite bargains is hypocrisy dressed up as commentary. Nigerian politics has never been a monastery. Pretending otherwise insults your own record,” he added.

Shaibu also rejected attempts to downplay public dissatisfaction over the 2023 general elections, insisting that electoral grievances remain legitimate and widespread.

“Your attempt to label legitimate electoral grievances as ‘bitterness’ is not analysis; it is damage control. Millions of Nigerians questioned the 2023 process. You can sneer at them, but you cannot erase them,” he said.

According to him, resorting to name-calling in government communication often signals a lack of tangible achievements.

“When government communication descends into insults, it is usually because results are scarce and anger is abundant,” Shaibu said.

He further criticised the administration’s policy direction, accusing it of promoting propaganda disconnected from the realities Nigerians face.

“You dismiss global ideas while defending policies copied wholesale from elsewhere. You praise ‘homegrown solutions’ while celebrating reforms Nigerians experience only as hunger, insecurity, and collapsing livelihoods. Propaganda does not change lived reality,” he stated.

Shaibu dismissed suggestions that Obi would play a subordinate role in any future political arrangement, insisting that discussions among opposition figures were centred on coalition-building rather than imposed hierarchies.

“Your confidence that Obi will ‘play second fiddle’ to Atiku is pure fiction. There is no ticket, no candidate, no imposed hierarchy. What exists is a coalition conversation, and that is what truly unsettles you,” he said.

He concluded that the growing tension was not about Obi’s defection but about the 2027 elections.

“This is not about Obi; it is about 2027. It is about fear that Nigerians are organising beyond your control. Insults don’t win elections, spin doesn’t fill stomachs, and arrogance does not intimidate hungry people. Nigerians will decide in 2027,” Shaibu added.