Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, has criticised former Anambra State Governor and Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate Peter Obi over his recent call for greater Federal Government investment in sports.

Onanuga made the remarks on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, in a post on X, responding to Obi’s comments after attending a Nigeria Premier Football League match in Lagos.

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“Headlines don’t lie like Peter Obi lies, recklessly,” Onanuga wrote, directly challenging Obi’s assessment of Nigeria’s sports sector.

Obi had called for stronger investment in sports after watching the NPFL fixture between Ikorodu City and Rangers International at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena in Lagos on September 27.

The former Anambra governor expressed concern about the low attendance at the match, noting that a stadium with a capacity of about 10,000 had fewer than 2,000 spectators, according to reports of his remarks.

Obi argued that Nigeria could use sports more effectively to create jobs, engage young people and support wider social development.

“Nigeria has no shortage of sporting talent. What we lack is the vision and commitment to turn that talent into opportunities for our young people,” Obi said.

He also described sport as more than entertainment, arguing that proper development of the sector could contribute to youth development, employment and social transformation.

Onanuga’s response shifted the discussion towards Obi’s record as governor of Anambra State, where he served from 2006 to 2014.

The presidential aide alleged that sportsmen and women in the state were poorly treated during Obi’s tenure and made a similar allegation concerning athletes with disabilities.

“His poor sports record as governor is well documented in the archives,” Onanuga wrote, according to reports of his statement.

Onanuga questioned the consistency of Obi’s current call for increased federal spending on sports with the record he attributed to Obi’s administration in Anambra.

The exchange comes amid a broader political dispute over Obi’s record in Anambra, with the former governor and the current state administration also engaged in a separate public disagreement over the state’s finances and liabilities.

That wider dispute has generated competing claims. Obi has rejected allegations that his administration left Anambra with outstanding debts and has disputed specific claims made by the state government.

On sports specifically, there is also evidence of ongoing Federal Government investment.

In May 2026, the Federal Ministry of Information reported that the government had approved major sports infrastructure projects, including work involving the National Stadium in Lagos, Obafemi Awolowo Stadium in Ibadan and Ahmadu Bello Stadium in Kaduna.

The government said the infrastructure programme was intended to support sports as an economic sector capable of creating jobs, attracting investment and promoting national development.

The contrasting positions therefore centre on both the scale of current federal investment and the record of previous administrations in developing sports.

Obi‘s recent comments focus on expanding opportunities for young Nigerians through better sports infrastructure, stronger institutions and greater investment.

Onanuga, meanwhile, has used the remarks to question Obi’s record as a former state governor and challenge the basis of his criticism of the Federal Government.

Neither side’s broader claims about the effectiveness of sports policy can be settled solely by the exchange on social media.

Assessment would require examining spending, infrastructure delivery, athlete support, participation figures and measurable outcomes across the relevant periods.

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The latest disagreement nevertheless adds another dimension to the increasingly active political debate surrounding the 2027 presidential election, with sports now featuring alongside economic management, infrastructure and governance as areas of competing claims.