The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has stated that President Tinubu deserves a second term in office, just like his predecessor, the late President Muhammadu Buhari.
Onanuga made this statement during an interview with Trust Radio on Wednesday, while reacting to recent criticism from the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) over alleged marginalisation of the North under Tinubu’s administration. He described the ACF’s position as a veiled attempt to discredit the Southern Presidency.
The presidential spokesman advised Northern politicians to wait for their turn, just as Southerners waited patiently during President Muhammadu Buhari’s time in office.
“The President is a Nigerian. He deserves the same two terms that Buhari had. Let’s not sacrifice the country for personal ambition,” Onanuga said.
According to him, President Tinubu is being unfairly targeted by certain individuals and leaders because he is from the Southern part of the country.
He said these individuals are making efforts to pitch the Northerners against the president ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Onanuga also dismissed claims that Tinubu’s government has sidelined the Northern region in terms of development and appointments. He described such allegations as false and politically motivated.
“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 said.
He pointed to key national security positions currently held by Northerners as evidence that the Tinubu administration is not biased in its appointments.
“The National Security Adviser, Chief of Defence Staff, and the two Defence Ministers are all Northerners,” Onanuga noted.
He further cited improvements in security, especially in Kaduna State, as part of the administration’s achievements. He referenced his recent journey by road from Kaduna to Abuja, which he said was previously considered unsafe.
“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,” he said.
