A chieftain of Labour Party, Prof. Par Utomi has challenged the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga that he is part of the planned nationwide protest against bad governance scheduled to commence On August 1, 2024.
Onanuga had in a post on his verified X account alleged that supporters of the presidential candidate of Labour Party in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi were the sponsor of the protest.
Onanuga said: “I have been on the trail of one of the protest planners, who is nameless but claims to have an internet radio station, PTM100.88 Abuja.
“ The anonymous person joined X in August 2022 and has 520 followers today, among whom are FS Yusuf, another rabid Obi supporter, and Professor Pat Utomi, a Labour Party chief and a guy on X who goes by the pseudonym Peter Obi’s First Son.”
Respondimg to the post, Utomi said he used to think Onanuga was of repute until he read his post.
He stated: “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 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 deliberate falsehood to rationalise a sinister plan. I would like Mr Onanuga to present any evidence to justify his comment.”
