The Presidency has dismissed as baseless claims by former Kaduna Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, that President Bola Tinubu harbours plans to become a life president.
In a post on his verified X handle yesterday, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, described the allegation as panic propaganda, insisting that President Tinubu remains an avowed democrat with no intention of exceeding the constitutional two-term limit. He said El-Rufai’s outburst reflected frustration, especially after the President’s grand reception during his visit to Kaduna last Friday, which contradicted claims that northern support for Tinubu had waned.
Onanuga argued that El-Rufai’s suggestion of a “life presidency” plot was a desperate attempt to distract from the futility of his new political associates’ efforts to stop Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.
He maintained that the President would leave office on May 28, 2031, if re-elected, stressing that suggestions to the contrary were unfounded.
Recall that El-Rufai had during a solidarity visit to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in Abuja last Saturday, accused the Tinubu administration of centralizing power and likening the President’s style to that of Cameroon’s Paul Biya, in power since 1982.