Renowned journalist, author, and columnist Ike Abonyi has refuted allegations by human rights activist and lawyer Deji Adeyanju that former Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, offered him money in exchange for support during the 2023 elections.
Abonyi, who facilitated a meeting between Adeyanju and Obi ahead of the elections, said he was present at the discussions and that no such offer was ever made.
In a statement released in Abuja on Friday, Abonyi described Adeyanju’s claims, made via a tweet, as false and misleading.
“I am at pains joining issues with a friend in public, but in this instance, I cannot keep mum and allow untruths to thrive,” Abonyi wrote.
“My friend Deji Adeyanju just tweeted that he stopped supporting the Labour Party Presidential Candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, because he was told that he invested Anambra State money in his family business.”
Abonyi’s statement emphasises that the allegations misrepresent the events that took place and defended Obi’s integrity during the election campaign.
I was at the meeting Deji had with Obi and was there all through and left with him after about three hours of frank discussion of Obi telling his life story in and out of government, none of which is new as he had said similar things repeatedly in public. I was shocked to my marrow reading from Deji what I did not hear. In my shock today, July 26, 2022, after reading the post, I wrote this to him -“Deji, Did you and Obi meet again or the one I was present. Haba! Deji, I’m shocked, you are free to support whoever without all these funny blackmails. You didn’t even factor my friendship with you.”
Speaking further Abonyi said, “On July 9, 2022, after a similar negative post on Obi that he can accept an appointment from the APC Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, I had again written to Deji.
“My brother, good morning, when did it get to this point? Am still in shock. Obi is not looking for a job that Tinubu will be offering.
As my friend even, if you no longer believe in the Obi project, I encourage you to stay on issues that will enhance your own reputation.
“Deji has not responded to any of my posts to him and has not picked up my calls. I had wanted us to resolve it as friends without my coming out publicly by urging him to withdraw his posts because they are not based on facts.”
As a journalist of long standing and as a Christian, I don’t need to be an Obi-centric person to resolve issues that border on facts and falshood.
No money was offered during or after the meeting, and there was no promise of any to the best of the knowledge.
“Deji is on record several times as having declared Obi to be the best candidate and had publicly encouraged Obi to leave PDP to seek his ambition on another platform.
He is also free to do a U-turn in supporting him, depending on what appeals to him, but should not base that on what is not true.”
