The political atmosphere on social media intensified on Monday, October 20, 2025, as Phrank Shaibu, Special Adviser on Public Communication to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, publicly criticised Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Information and Strategy.
The clash followed Onanuga’s remarks regarding lawyer Aloy Ejimakor, who has been representing Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
The controversy began after Ejimakor joined pro-democracy activist Omoyele Sowore and others in a peaceful protest held in Abuja, demanding justice and the release of Kanu. In reaction, Bayo Onanuga took to his official X (formerly Twitter) account, questioning Ejimakor’s professional conduct and urging legal authorities to consider disciplinary action.
“Ejimakor’s action questions his adherence to professional ethics. Legal authorities should consider appropriate sanctions for the unethical conduct of the bearded lawyer,” Onanuga wrote.
This comment quickly drew the ire of Phrank Shaibu, who responded with a sharply worded post of his own on X. He described Onanuga as the wrong person to speak on professionalism, accusing him of harboring ethnic prejudice.
“A man who once said ‘I owe no one apology for ethnic slurs against the Igbos’ now lecturing on ethics? You can’t preach professionalism when your own record drips with hate and division,” Shaibu stated.
Shaibu’s remarks referenced a past controversy in which Onanuga was accused of making inflammatory comments targeting the Igbo ethnic group. Critics of Onanuga have since used that incident to question his objectivity and suitability for his current role as a presidential media aide.
The online exchange between the two political figures adds another layer to the ongoing national debate over civil liberties, legal advocacy, and the role of government officials in shaping public narratives. It also highlights the deepening divisions over the continued detention of Nnamdi Kanu, which remains a highly sensitive issue in Nigeria’s socio-political landscape.
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