The Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has said President Tinubu is fully entitled to seek a second term in office, just as his predecessor, the late President Muhammadu Buhari, did.
Speaking during an interview with Trust Radio on Wednesday, Onanuga urged political leaders from Northern Nigeria to show patience and allow the South to complete its turn at the helm of national leadership, reminding them that the South endured eight years under Buhari’s administration without agitation.
“This president is a Nigerian. He deserves the same two terms that Buhari had. Let’s not sacrifice the country for personal ambition,” Onanuga said.
His remarks came in response to recent criticisms from the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), which had raised concerns over alleged marginalisation of the North and lopsided appointments in favour of the Southwest.
Describing the ACF’s claims as politically motivated, Onanuga argued that many of the allegations against Tinubu’s administration are attempts to delegitimise the presidency based on regional sentiments rather than facts.
“You need to get your statistics right. It’s all political mischief designed to undermine the President. There are bad roads across the country, not just in the North,” he added.
Onanuga also dismissed concerns that the Tinubu government has abandoned Northern infrastructure, pointing out that the administration inherited numerous uncompleted and neglected projects from previous governments. He stressed that the President has taken a balanced approach to appointments and cited several key security positions currently held by Northerners.
“The National Security Adviser, Chief of Defence Staff, and the two Defence Ministers are all Northerners,” he noted.
He further highlighted recent improvements in national security, especially in the North. “Places like Birnin Gwari and Igabi in Kaduna are now safer. I drove from Kaduna to Abuja without incident, a journey that was once unthinkable,” Onanuga recounted.
The presidential aide’s comments come amid growing political tensions as Nigeria inches closer to the halfway mark of President Tinubu’s first term, with debates intensifying over regional equity, national unity, and power rotation.
