The Presidency has dismissed as “baseless and absurd” the claim by former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is plotting to become Nigeria’s “life president” if re-elected in 2027.
El-Rufai, speaking during a visit by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to his Kaduna residence, likened Tinubu to Cameroon’s long-ruling leader Paul Biya, alleging that the President was centralising power and plotting to extend his rule indefinitely.
“If we don’t come together and end this Tinubu administration by 2027, Tinubu will try to be our Paul Biya, to be president for life. All the signs are there,” El-Rufai declared in a video shared on Atiku’s Facebook page.
The former governor, who has aligned with Atiku in the African Democratic Congress (ADC), further accused the Tinubu administration of being “worse than any military regime” in stifling dissent.
Atiku, in his response, echoed the warning, calling the Tinubu government “the greatest risk to our democracy since 1999.”
Presidency Hits Back
Reacting late Sunday, Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, dismissed the remarks as unfounded fabrications borne out of political frustration.
“Former Kaduna governor Nasir El-Rufai appears to need some help, especially given his recent unfounded claims and speculations,” Onanuga wrote on social media.
He argued that El-Rufai and his allies have realised they cannot stop Tinubu’s re-election in 2027, hence the resort to “hallucinations” about dictatorship.
“President Tinubu is a democrat who does not intend to stay in office beyond May 28, 2031, when re-elected in 2027,” Onanuga assured Nigerians.
He added that Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna should “reach out to his predecessor,” suggesting that El-Rufai might need professional counselling to abandon “political fabrications on Tinubu and 2027.”
