The Presidency has dismissed calls for President Bola Tinubu’s removal from office, describing those behind them as “power-hungry politicians” driven by desperation and political displacement.

Special Adviser to the President on Media and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, made the remarks in response to comments by former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, who predicted that Tinubu would not secure re-election in 2027.

El-Rufai, speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Sunday, argued that Tinubu lacked a clear pathway to victory in 2027, adding that “at best, he will come third” in a runoff election. He further compared Tinubu’s position to that of former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015, warning that incumbency power would not guarantee success.

Reacting via his X handle on Monday, Onanuga accused El-Rufai of leading a campaign to discredit the President, despite previously admitting that four years was not enough for any leader to achieve meaningful change.

“In contrast to the political laggards and underachievers who once governed Anambra, Rivers, and Kaduna states, President Tinubu and his team have implemented significant reforms in just two years, positioning Nigeria on the path to prosperity,” Onanuga wrote.

He listed the administration’s achievements to include:

  • A surge in foreign reserves and stock market growth.

  • Exchange rate harmonisation.

  • Four consecutive months of declining inflation.

  • Over ₦26 trillion in additional stock market wealth.

  • Reforms in education and welfare, such as NELFUND student loans and cash transfers to vulnerable households.

Onanuga also highlighted increased allocations to states and local governments, which he said had boosted infrastructure projects and job creation. “The governors themselves have said they have never had it so good,” he added.

Condemning what he described as a plot by displaced politicians to undermine Tinubu, Onanuga said:

“Yet, these power-hungry politicians want the President, who has achieved so much, to be removed, all because they have become politically irrelevant. May they never succeed in their plot against our nation.”

He further warned that El-Rufai’s recent comments would resurface in future political campaigns:

“Please save the video. We shall confront Nasir with it when electioneering starts.”