The Presidency has fired back at former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, dismissing his claim that President Bola Tinubu may seek to remain in power for life if not voted out in 2027.
Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, in a statement on Monday, said El-Rufai was “hallucinating” and unsettled by the President’s rising political profile.
Onanuga described the comment as another failed attempt to discredit Tinubu, stressing that Nigerians, including Northerners, had continued to demonstrate support for the administration.
He maintained that Tinubu remained a committed democrat who had no intention of staying beyond the constitutionally allowed two terms, adding that El-Rufai’s remarks were baseless.
“El-Rufai has clearly realised the futility of attempts by his associates in his new party to prevent President Tinubu’s re-election in 2027. His suggestion that Tinubu wants to become a life president is unfounded and laughable,” Onanuga stated.
The presidential aide said the warm reception accorded Tinubu in Kaduna last Friday was proof of his strong support in the North.
He urged Governor Uba Sani to reach out to his predecessor, who, he added, “may require professional counselling to steer him away from his recent hallucinations and political fabrications.”