The special adviser on information and strategy to President Bola Tinubu, Bayo Onanuga, has faulted recent remarks made by Nasir el-Rufai, former governor of Kaduna, about the presidency.
On Saturday, el-Rufai alleged that Tinubu could attempt to hold on to power like Cameroon’s Paul Biya if Nigerians fail to unite against him in the 2027 elections.
Biya, 92, has ruled since 1982 and recently announced his plan to seek re-election in October, which would extend his 43 years in power.
In a post on X on Sunday, Onanuga said el-Rufai has been making “unfounded claims and speculations” about Tinubu.
He argued that el-Rufai appears to have come to terms with the futility of efforts by his allies in his new party to prevent Tinubu’s re-election.
According to Onanuga, the “plot is proving to be unattainable” and is “a mission doomed to fail.”
He further stated that el-Rufai was unsettled by the “grand reception” Tinubu received during his visit to Kaduna last Friday — a turnout which, he said, contradicted claims that the north has abandoned the president.
“Instead, he resorted to spreading further unfounded stories, including the claim that President Tinubu intends to become a ‘life president’ after 2027 — a speculation that is baseless and absurd,” Onanuga wrote.
“President Tinubu is a democrat who does not intend to stay in office beyond May 28, 2031, when re-elected in 2027.”
Onanuga also suggested that Uba Sani, governor of Kaduna, may need to intervene.
“El-Rufai could benefit from some professional counselling to steer him away from his recent hallucinations and political fabrications on Tinubu and 2027,” he added.