Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga said former presidential candidate, Peter Obi is equating constant criticism with effective opposition.

Onanuga said this in an X post on Sunday after Obi faulted President Bola Tinubu’s recent trip to Saint Lucia.

In a Saturday statement, Obi had said Tinubu should not be holidaying, noting that Nigeria under his watch has “lost more people to all sorts of criminality than a country that is officially at war”.

In a counter-statement, Onanuga denied that the president was vacationing in Saint Lucia.

Onanuga explained that the visit by the Nigerian leader paves the way for the rekindling of ancestral bonds, igniting a new era of diplomatic, cultural, and economic possibilities between both nations.

He said, “Saint Lucia Is the headquarters of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and the gateway to the 15 CARICOM member states. The CARICOM states have a combined GDP of over $130 billion, a significant figure in South-South trade discourse.

“In an era of global uncertainty, deepening cooperation between the Global South, particularly between continental Africa and the Caribbean, has become imperative.”

The presidential aide said the criticism of Tinubu’s visit was misguided, mischievous and uninformed.

In a follow-up post on X, he said, “This is for Peter Obi, whose opposition strategy appears to be focused on weaponising everything under the sun, persistently challenging President Tinubu’s every initiative and move, regardless of merit, equating constant criticism with effective opposition.” (Daily Sun)