The presidency has asserted that President Bola Tinubu is entitled to seek re-election, just as his predecessor, the late Muhammadu Buhari, did.
This position was made known by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, during an interview with Trust Radio on Wednesday.
Onanuga urged Northern politicians to exercise patience and allow the South to complete its turn in power, noting that the region had previously supported Buhari’s eight-year rule.
He also dismissed recent claims of marginalisation by the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), describing them as a veiled attempt to discredit the Tinubu-led administration.
According to him, many of the criticisms directed at President Tinubu stem from calculated efforts to weaken his leadership based on his Southern roots.
“This president is a Nigerian. He deserves the same two terms that Buhari had. Let’s not sacrifice the country for personal ambition,” he said.
Responding to allegations that federal appointments are disproportionately favouring the Southwest, Onanuga challenged critics to present concrete evidence rather than rely on generalisations.
He further addressed concerns about infrastructure in the North, pointing out that many of the neglected projects were inherited from past governments.
He emphasized that Northerners occupy several key positions in the current security structure as proof of inclusive governance under President Tinubu.
“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.
“The National Security Adviser, Chief of Defence Staff, and the two Defence Ministers are all Northerners. 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 added.
