Storm Over Onanuga’s Attack on Jonathan

…Bode George, Niboro, Abati , Sani deplore attack on former president

By Franklin Adole

Former President Goodluck Jonathan’s record in office returned to the centre of Nigeria’s political storm yesterday as Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Information and Strategy, came under fire for describing Jonathan’s administration as “dismal.”

The comment, which many see as a preemptive strike against mounting speculation of a Jonathan comeback in 2027, drew sharp rebukes from across the political spectrum. Former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Bode George, former presidential spokesman Ima Niboro, and Arise TV anchor and also former Jonathan spokesman, Dr. Reuben Abati, all pushed back strongly, insisting Jonathan’s record stands taller than Onanuga suggests.

George, in an interview with Arise Television, declared that Jonathan’s presidency delivered better results than those of the late Muhammadu Buhari and current President Bola Tinubu. “If Jonathan comes and he wins, he has a good record, much better than Buhari and Bola Tinubu together, much better,” George said. He warned that any attempt by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to rig the 2027 presidential election would push the country “towards hell,” insisting that the will of Nigerians must be allowed to prevail.

The PDP chieftain argued that under Jonathan, Nigerians fared far better in economic terms, pointing to lower inflation, stronger purchasing power, and more affordable living standards compared to what obtains today. “Ask any Nigerian how they felt then and how they feel now,” George challenged, noting that food and basic commodities have spiralled beyond the reach of average citizens under APC rule.

But even within the APC, voices rose against Onanuga’s broadside. Ima Niboro, publisher of Keeping Them Honest Daily, who served Jonathan as Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President, Special Adviser to the President, and later as Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), issued a sharply worded response.

Niboro, himself a card-carrying member of the APC, said he would not stand by while a government he served was “needlessly maligned.” He stressed that while no presidency was flawless, Jonathan’s years in power were far from the “caricature of ruin and cluelessness” painted by Onanuga.

“By the time President Jonathan left office in 2015, Nigeria’s foreign reserves stood at $42 billion; the Sovereign Wealth Fund held $1 billion; the Excess Crude Account was at $2.2 billion despite pressure from governors; and the LNG signature bonus account had $5.8 billion. Are these the numbers of collapse or of careful stewardship?” Niboro asked in his opinion published in KTH Daily today.

His words: “ I write as a card-carrying member of the All Progressives Congress (APC). I campaigned for this president. I supported his vision because I saw in him “the” true successor to Jonathan in terms of economic policy and strategic national vision. Because of this, I will not stand by while the government I proudly served—as Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President, as Special Adviser to the President, and as Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria—is openly and needlessly maligned as though it achieved nothing. History, if it is to be honest, cannot be written in such cruel strokes.

“Let me also be clear: I hold Mr. Onanuga in the highest personal regard. He is a respected senior colleague and my successor at the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN. Indeed, in Nigeria’s media and political history, only three of us, the late and highly regarded Mrs. Remi Oyo, Onanuga, and myself, have had the distinction of serving as presidential spokespersons and CEOs of NAN; even if Onanuga’s case happened in a little bit of a reverse order.
Till today, he is one of the few Tinubu aides who has kept his doors and ears open to colleagues and friends.
But to this statement of his, I say with all due respect: No, Sir.”

The former spokesman pointed to Jonathan’s economic reforms, agricultural transformation under Akinwumi Adesina, the modernization of airports, the revival of rail, the establishment of 14 new universities and 166 Almajiri schools, and governance innovations like the Treasury Single Account and IPPIS as achievements that remain indelible today.

He also reminded Onanuga that Tinubu himself had opposed Jonathan’s attempt to remove fuel subsidy in 2012, leading to mass protests that forced a reversal.

“Mr. Onanuga, in his statement, praised Tinubu for subsidy removal, but Nigerians remember who stood against Jonathan when he attempted the same reform. It was Tinubu himself, alongside others, who led protests that forced a reversal in 2012. To now blame Jonathan for “allowing the economy to bleed” is disingenuous. He sought to cauterize the wound; they stopped him, and now they accuse him of not stopping the hemorrhage? Gosh!

“To my mind, what is past is past, and Tinubu’s record in GDP growth, inflation control, and rising reserves should be allowed to stand on its own merits. It should not require rewriting Jonathan’s presidency into a tale of ruin. Politics must be rooted in a measure of honesty. Is it not said that there must be honour even among thieves, not to speak of great patriots like our good selves!!!

“Whether Jonathan runs in 2027 or not, his record remains what it is: the economy’s expansion, agricultural reform, revived rail, modernized airports, new universities, governance innovation, health gains, and deepened democracy. These cannot be erased by the flourish of anyone’s pen. Nigerians lived them. Nigerians remember,” Niboro wrote.

Reuben Abati, who took over from Niboro as Jonathan’s spokesman, also weighed in on Arise TV, describing Onanuga’s remarks as “unfair” and “propaganda-driven.” Abati said Jonathan left behind strong legacies: a rebased economy that became Africa’s largest, credible elections that deepened democracy, and an international reputation that has kept him relevant on the global stage nearly a decade after leaving office.

“To say there were no meaningful achievements under Jonathan is wrong, absolutely wrong,” Abati said. He noted that Jonathan conceded defeat in 2015 to safeguard Nigeria’s democracy, an act that elevated him in global reckoning. “Jonathan is acclaimed all over the world 10 years after his administration as a democrat, as a man who moved Nigeria forward. That in itself should tell Mr. Onanuga that this is a man who has achieved, who has remained relevant.”

In an earlier response, Umar Sani, a former Senior Special Assistant to ex-Vice President Namadi Sambo, had stated that “whether Jonathan chooses to run in 2027 or not, his record cannot be reduced to “cluelessness” or “non-performance.” The facts speak louder than propaganda, and the palpable fear of Jonathan’s possible re-entry into the political arena speaks volumes.
“Should he decide to throw his hat into the ring, the Tinubu administration will be confronted with a moving train whose momentum may prove difficult to contain.”