Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga has launched a scathing attack on former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, accusing him of hypocrisy in his opposition to President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
In a lengthy statement posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, Onanuga highlighted what he described as a glaring contradiction in El-Rufai’s political stance, referencing the former governor’s previous admission that four years is insufficient for meaningful political change.
“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.
The presidential aide suggested that El-Rufai and other critics are motivated by political displacement rather than genuine concern for Nigeria’s welfare, describing them as “power-hungry politicians who had become politically displaced and irrelevant.”
Onanuga defended the Tinubu administration’s record, presenting what he characterized as impressive economic achievements within two years. He cited several key indicators to support his argument, including foreign reserves reaching their highest level in 44 months and the stock market creating over N26 trillion in new wealth.
According to the presidential spokesman, the All Share Index has surged from 53,000 points to over 140,000 points under Tinubu’s watch. He also highlighted the harmonization of exchange rates, four consecutive months of declining inflation, and GDP growth of N103.5 trillion over two years.
The aide emphasized social programs benefiting ordinary Nigerians, including the revolutionary student loan scheme through NELFUND and cash transfers to vulnerable citizens through the Humanitarian Ministry.
Onanuga particularly stressed improvements in federal revenue sharing, claiming that states and local governments are receiving unprecedented allocations from the center. “States and local councils are now getting more money from the centre, allowing them to fund capital projects and create more jobs. The governors said they have never had it so good,” he stated.
Looking ahead, the presidential aide predicted even better financial performance, suggesting that upcoming tax reforms would drive national revenue to new records in the coming years.
In his broadside against El-Rufai, Onanuga drew unfavorable comparisons with other former governors, describing them as “political laggards and underachievers who were once governors in Anambra, Rivers and Kaduna.”
The statement concluded with Onanuga expressing confidence that opposition plots would fail, declaring: “May they never succeed in their plot against our nation and people.”
This exchange represents the latest escalation in the war of words between Tinubu loyalists and critics, particularly following El-Rufai’s recent declaration of intent to help remove what he called “oppressors” from office ahead of the 2027 elections.
