The Presidency has criticized former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi over his recent interview on Channels Television, describing the appearance as a public relations disaster while defending President Bola Tinubu’s political record.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said he stopped watching the interview after about 30 minutes, alleging that Obi made several false claims during the broadcast.

Onanuga dismissed Obi’s comparison of his political career with that of President Tinubu, insisting that the President has remained within the progressive political fold throughout his career.

According to the presidential spokesman, Tinubu began his political journey with the Social Democratic Party (SDP), later joined the Alliance for Democracy (AD), and subsequently played key roles in the formation of the Action Congress (AC), Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), and the All Progressives Congress (APC).

He contrasted this with Obi’s movement across different political parties, including the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Labour Party (LP), and the National Democratic Congress (NDC), accusing the former Anambra State governor of switching parties for personal political interests rather than strengthening them.

Onanuga also faulted Obi’s continued claim that he won the 2023 presidential election, stressing that both the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Tinubu the winner and the Supreme Court upheld the outcome.

He urged Obi to accept the verdict of the courts and move on, saying it was inappropriate to continue disputing the election more than three years after it was concluded.

The presidential aide further alleged that the Labour Party became engulfed in leadership disputes after the 2023 election and accused Obi of failing to rebuild the party before aligning with another political platform.

The Presidency’s response followed Obi’s appearance on Channels Television, where the former presidential candidate discussed his political future, the 2023 election, and other national issues, remarks that have continued to generate reactions across the country’s political landscape.