The Presidency has dismissed calls for the removal of President Bola Tinubu, describing those behind the move as “power-hungry politicians” desperate for relevance.
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, made the remark while reacting to former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai’s prediction that Tinubu would not win re-election in 2027.
El-Rufai, in a television interview, had argued that Tinubu had no clear path to victory and could, at best, finish third in a run-off. He likened the situation to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan’s 2015 defeat despite controlling state resources and security agencies.
But Onanuga countered, accusing El-Rufai of contradicting his own earlier position that four years is too short for any leader to deliver meaningful change.
“Yet, he is at the forefront of political desperados plotting President Tinubu’s ouster just two years into his tenure,” Onanuga wrote on X.
According to him, Tinubu’s administration has recorded “meaningful changes” within two years — including increased foreign reserves, stock market growth, exchange rate harmonisation, and four straight months of inflation decline.
He also highlighted reforms such as the student loan scheme (NELFUND), cash transfers to vulnerable households, and increased allocations to states and local governments.
“The governors said they have never had it so good,” he added, insisting that those plotting Tinubu’s removal “have become politically displaced and irrelevant.”
Onanuga further warned that El-Rufai’s televised remarks would be replayed against him during the 2027 campaigns.
“Please save the video. We shall confront Nasir with it when electioneering starts,” he stated.
