ABUJA — Presidential media aide, Bayo Onanuga, has hit back at former Kaduna State governor, Nasir el-Rufai, over his claim that President Bola Tinubu has no pathway to victory in the 2027 elections.
Onanuga, who is Special Adviser to the President on Media and Strategy, dismissed those pushing for Tinubu’s removal as “political desperados” who feel displaced and irrelevant in the current political landscape.
El-Rufai had stirred controversy on Sunday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he argued that Tinubu would, at best, finish third in 2027. According to him, the President could deceive himself with state resources, but just like former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015, he would ultimately lose.
“I have done the maths, I have done the analysis; Tinubu has no pathway to win. At best, he will be third,” El-Rufai said, adding that the President’s influence, money, and control of institutions would not guarantee re-election.
But in a swift reaction, Onanuga, via his X handle on Monday, accused El-Rufai of hypocrisy, noting that the former governor once admitted that four years was too short for any leader to make “meaningful changes.”
“Nasir El-Rufai confesses here that four years is not enough for a political office holder to make meaningful changes. Yet he is at the forefront of the gang of political desperados plotting President Tinubu’s ouster, just two years into his tenure. What a contradiction!” Onanuga wrote.
Highlighting Tinubu’s achievements, Onanuga cited rising foreign reserves, reforms in the forex market, and four straight months of inflation decline. He also pointed to the stock market boom, which, according to him, created over N26 trillion in additional wealth, pushing the All-Share Index from 53,000 to more than 140,000 points.
“Governors have said they have never had it so good. States and local governments are receiving more funds to embark on capital projects and create jobs. Yet, these power-hungry politicians want the President, who has achieved so much, removed. May they never succeed in their plot against our nation and people,” he added.
Onanuga further warned that El-Rufai’s past comments would haunt him when political campaigns begin: “Please save the video. We shall confront Nasir with it when electioneering starts.”
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