- Influencer compares Peter Obi to Lee Kuan Yew, calling him a once-in-a-generation leader.
- Presidential aide Bayo Onanuga rejects the comparison as “egregious” and “amusing”.
- Onanuga says Obi lacked vision and failed to develop Anambra during his tenure.
Presidential aide Bayo Onanuga has criticised a social media influencer for comparing Labour Party’s Peter Obi to the late Singaporean leader, Lee Kuan Yew.
Eko hot blog reports that the controversy began after Alex Onyia, an educational influencer and founder of Educare, posted on X:
“Peter Obi is like Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore. Leaders like him come once in a generation.”
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Onyia’s remarks sparked mixed reactions, especially among supporters of Obi, who contested the 2023 presidential election under the Labour Party.
However, Onanuga, who serves as Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to President Bola Tinubu, dismissed the comparison as both misguided and disrespectful to Nigerians.
“I find posts like Onyia’s very amusing,” Onanuga wrote in response on Monday. “He is possibly posting for some idiots to gobble everything he says.”
“How can anyone in his right senses compare Peter Obi with the late Singaporean leader, Lee Kuan Yew, a name Onyia even misspelt? We have a proverb in Yoruba: If a man wants to be sharp and bright, he shows the traits in infancy, He continued.
Onanuga criticised Obi’s record as former governor of Anambra State, alleging that he lacked any developmental vision throughout his administration.
“Peter Obi was not an exemplary governor of Anambra. He didn’t show any vision of development,” he claimed. “He did not build a classroom, as has been said irrefutably. Indeed, he left Awka, the capital, worse than he met it.”
He described the influencer’s comment as an “egregious joke” and advised him to delete the post altogether.
Lee Kuan Yew served as Singapore’s prime minister from 1959 to 1990 and is widely credited with transforming the country from a struggling nation into a first-world economy through strategic governance and a strong anti-corruption stance.
The debate continues to stir controversy online, with some users backing Onyia’s praise of Obi, while others agree with Onanuga’s rejection of the comparison.
This isn’t the first time Peter Obi has drawn both praise and criticism for his leadership style and campaign promises.
