By Muhammad Mamman
Respected journalist and columnist, Ike Abonyi, has dismissed as false the claims by activist and lawyer Deji Adeyanju that former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, attempted to buy his support during the 2023 elections.
Abonyi, who personally arranged and sat through the meeting between Adeyanju and Obi before the polls, stated emphatically that no such offer was ever made.
In a strongly-worded statement issued in Abuja on Friday, Abonyi described Adeyanju’s allegations — made via social media — as “false, misleading and deeply unfair.”
“I find it painful to publicly challenge a friend, but I cannot remain silent while untruths are being peddled,” Abonyi wrote. “I was at the meeting Deji had with Obi, present throughout the three-hour discussion, and left with him. At no point was money mentioned or offered. I was therefore shocked to the marrow when I read Deji’s claims.”
According to him, the conversation with Obi was a candid recounting of the former governor’s personal and political journey — nothing more.
Abonyi revealed that he had privately cautioned Adeyanju several times in the past about spreading baseless claims against Obi, urging him instead to focus on facts. “As a friend, I appealed to him to avoid blackmail and to protect his own reputation,” he said.
He further reminded Adeyanju that he himself once publicly declared Obi the best candidate for the presidency and had even encouraged him to leave the PDP to pursue his ambition elsewhere.
“It is his right to change his political stance or withdraw support, but it should not be built on lies,” Abonyi stressed. “As a Christian and a journalist of long standing, I cannot fold my arms when facts are being twisted. To the best of my knowledge, no money was ever offered during or after that meeting.”
Abonyi’s intervention casts serious doubt on Adeyanju’s claims, reinforcing Obi’s reputation for integrity — a quality that has remained central to his political brand.
