Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, former National Publicity Secretary of the defunct New Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP), has taken a swipe at President Bola Tinubu’s aide, Bayo Onanuga, daring him to prove his loyalty to the administration in a dramatic way.

Eze challenged Onanuga, who currently serves as Special Assistant to the President on Information and Strategy, to travel to his hometown of Ijebu Ode without security personnel and openly chant “Up Tinubu” three times in a public space.

According to Eze, such a test would reveal the depth of public anger towards the ruling party over the worsening economic hardship confronting ordinary Nigerians.

He cautioned Onanuga and other presidential aides against dismissing genuine criticism from well-meaning Nigerians, stressing that the Tinubu-led government has plunged the nation into unprecedented hardship, with more than 70 percent of citizens struggling under the weight of hyper-inflation and failed economic policies.

“The truth of the matter is that Tinubu started on a bad footing from the day of his ill-fated inauguration,” Eze declared. “The inhuman policies of this administration are tormenting Nigerians daily, with no relief in sight.”

His comments were a reaction to the Presidency’s response to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who recently warned that widespread hunger could trigger social unrest, drawing parallels with revolutions in the Arab world, France, and Russia.

Onanuga had dismissed Atiku’s warning as “grossly misleading” and “out of touch with reality,” insisting that positive developments are unfolding under Tinubu’s leadership.

But Eze was unsparing in his rebuttal. “If Onanuga doesn’t defend Tinubu and propagate falsehoods, who will? Certainly not the millions of Nigerians who have died of hunger,” he quipped.

He insisted that instead of attacking critics like Atiku, the presidency should focus on introducing practical, people-centered policies to cushion the devastating effects of the biting economy.

“The propaganda and fake lifestyle around the corridors of power will not last forever. One day, Bayo and others will return to the larger Nigerian space where the truth can’t be hidden,” Eze added.

For him, the government’s best way to silence critics is not through rhetoric, but through visible results that touch the lives of ordinary Nigerians.