Naija Blog Reports that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has clarified that the President is entitled to a second term in office just like his predecessor, late Muhammadu Buhari. Onanuga described northern attacks against the President as politically motivated and a tactic to derail the present government.
Reacting in an interview with Trust Radio on Wednesday, Onanuga cited growing concerns voiced by the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), which had accused the Tinubu administration of excluding the North from development initiatives and federal appointments.
Onanuga described the grievances as a "coordinated political attack" aimed at discrediting the Southern presidency and furthering individual political interests.
"This President is a Nigerian. He is entitled to the same two terms that Buhari enjoyed. Let us not trade off the country for personal ambition," Onanuga said bluntly.
He urged northern political figures to be patient, adding that the South stood by Buhari in his eight years in office and that national unity must take precedence over regional interests.
Brushing aside accusations of lopsided appointments and abandonment of infrastructure in the North, Onanuga retorted that the issue of underdevelopment is a national crisis and not specific to the North.
"You must correct your statistics. It's purely political mischief to discredit the President. There are poor roads across the nation, not in the North alone," he explained.
Onanuga further added that strategic security positions in Tinubu's administration are occupied by Northerners, including the National Security Adviser, the Chief of Defence Staff, and the Defence Ministers—serving, in his words, as an example of a balanced and representative system of governance.
He further mentioned improved security in some parts of the North as evidence of the government's commitment to development nationwide.
"Birnin Gwari and Igabi in Kaduna State are safe now. I moved from Kaduna to Abuja without incident, something that was unthinkable in the past," he said.
The statement is coming at a time when there has been escalated criticism of the Tinubu administration by different segments in the North, even as the presidency maintains its momentum in rallying broader national support ahead of the forthcoming political battle.
