A renowned political economist and chieftain of the Labour Party (LP), Prof Pat Utomi, has blasted Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, following allegations that he (Utomi) is one of the organizers of the planned nationwide protest scheduled to begin on August 1.
Onanuga had, in a statement posted on X on Saturday, alleged that Utomi as well as Peter Obi and his supporters are organizing the nationwide protest tagged #EndBadGovernment protests aimed at destabilizing President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
“FS Yusuf, another rabid Obi supporter, and Professor Pat Utomi, a Labour Party chieftain and a guy on X who goes by the pseudonym Peter Obi’s First Son” are behind the planned protests,” Onanuga had alleged.
But while reacting to the allegations on his X handle on Sunday, Utomi said he is surprised that Onanuga would accuse him falsely as he had nothing to do with the planned protests.
“Esteem just collapsed before me. I used to think Bayo Onanuga was a journalist of some standing until I began to receive calls this morning about his accusing me of planning demonstrations for August,” Utomi wrote.
“First I have been resident in Washington DC and occupied by an intense Fellowship for months with additional work on a book project such that I did not even know demonstrations were being planned until I called a senior civil servant in Abuja who I sent a questionnaire on public policy reforms.
“I mentioned I would be in Ghana for events around the AU summit and he said if you will come into Nigeria careful that demonstrations in August do not make you run into flight disruptions.
“That is how I heard of protests being planned. This morning when I heard about Onanuga’s comment my inclination was to ignore it.
“But another caller suggested it could deliberate falsehood to rationalize a sinister plan. I would like Mr Onanuga to present any evidence to justify his comment.
“Let it be clear that I have nothing against protests. It is a legitimate instrument of democracy for raising the voice of citizens.
“I have participated in many in my time; from my undergraduate days at UNN to marching with concerned professionals following the June 12 election annulment.
“So if I were part of whatever is being planned for August, I would wear it as a badge of honour and not wait to be called out by Bayo Onanuga,” Utomi clarified.