Bayo Onanuga
PicNews
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, has dismissed Nasir El-Rufai’s claim that President Tinubu intends to become a “life president” as baseless and absurd. El-Rufai made this claim while receiving a solidarity visit from former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, stating that Tinubu’s administration is displaying signs of totalitarianism and centralizing power, much like Cameroonian President Paul Biya, who has been in power since 1982.
According to Onanuga, El-Rufai’s claim is unfounded and laughable, and President Tinubu is a committed democrat who has no intention of staying in office beyond the constitutionally permitted two terms. Tinubu’s grand reception in Kaduna last Friday was proof of his strong northern support, contradicting El-Rufai’s narrative that the region has abandoned the President.
Onanuga believes El-Rufai’s comments were another failed attempt to discredit Tinubu, stressing that Northerners and Nigerians at large had continued to show love and support for the President. He suggested that El-Rufai might benefit from professional counseling to steer him away from his recent hallucinations and political fabrications about Tinubu and the 2027 elections.
El-Rufai had urged Atiku to rally Nigerians against Tinubu in 2027, praising his past role in fighting military rule. Atiku commended El-Rufai’s stance, warning that the Tinubu-led APC posed a grave threat to Nigeria’s democracy. However, the APC dismissed the allegations, insisting Tinubu is acting constitutionally and mocking Atiku as a “serial loser” who cannot defeat the President.
Onanuga emphasized that President Tinubu does not intend to stay in office beyond May 28, 2031, when re-elected in 2027, adhering to constitutional limits. El-Rufai’s accusations were seen as part of a desperate attempt to remove Tinubu from power, which Onanuga believes is doomed to fail due to the President’s widespread support.
