Renowned journalist and columnist, Ike Abonyi, has dismissed claims by human rights activist and lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, that Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, offered him money for political support.
Abonyi, who said he personally brokered and attended the meeting between Obi and Adeyanju ahead of the elections, stressed that no such offer was ever made.
In a statement released in Abuja, Abonyi described Adeyanju’s assertions as “far from the truth,” noting that the three-hour meeting only involved Obi sharing details of his life and governance record—information he had often repeated in public.
“I was shocked to my marrow reading from Deji what I did not hear,” Abonyi said. “You are free to support whoever without these funny blackmails. You didn’t even factor my friendship with you.”
Abonyi also revealed that he had privately cautioned Adeyanju in the past, particularly after similar negative posts about Obi in July 2022, urging him to maintain factual accuracy. According to him, Adeyanju never responded to his messages nor took his calls.
“As a journalist of long standing and as a Christian, I don’t need to be Obi-centric to resolve issues of fact and falsehood. No money was offered during or after the meeting, and to the best of my knowledge, there was no promise of any,” Abonyi clarified.
He concluded by reminding Adeyanju that while he is free to withdraw support from Obi, such a decision should not be based on falsehoods.
