Presidency: Tinubu Earned a Second Term, Just Like Buhari

The Presidency has asserted that President Bola Tinubu is entitled to pursue a second term in office, similar to the opportunity granted to his predecessor, the late Muhammadu Buhari.

Speaking during an interview with Trust Radio on Wednesday, Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, emphasized the importance of political fairness. He urged Northern leaders to exercise patience and respect the South’s current tenure, noting that the region had previously supported and endured Buhari’s full eight-year administration.

The Presidency has defended President Bola Tinubu’s right to contest for a second term, drawing a parallel with the late Muhammadu Buhari, who served two full terms in office.

Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, made the remarks during an interview with Trust Radio on Wednesday. He urged politicians from the North to respect the existing power rotation, emphasizing that the South had shown similar patience throughout Buhari’s eight-year leadership.

Addressing recent accusations from the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) about Northern marginalization, Onanuga dismissed the claims as a veiled political tactic intended to cast doubts on Tinubu’s leadership. He argued that such criticisms are often rooted in regional bias and a broader attempt to undermine the President based on his Southern heritage.

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“President Tinubu is as much a Nigerian as any of his predecessors,” Onanuga said. “He is entitled to pursue a second term, just as Buhari did. We shouldn’t allow personal ambition to destabilize the country.”

Responding to claims that federal appointments under Tinubu have heavily favored the Southwest, Onanuga challenged detractors to produce credible data instead of relying on assumptions and generalizations.

He also pushed back against criticism regarding the state of infrastructure in Northern Nigeria, attributing many of the challenges to unfinished or abandoned projects left behind by previous administrations.

Highlighting the President’s commitment to national balance, Onanuga pointed to the appointment of Northerners to top security positions, including the National Security Adviser, Chief of Defence Staff, and both Defence Ministers. He added that the security situation in volatile areas like Birnin Gwari and Igabi in Kaduna State had significantly improved.

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“I recently traveled from Kaduna to Abuja without any issues — a journey that was once fraught with danger. These improvements are real,” he stated, insisting that infrastructure problems are a nationwide issue, not exclusive to the North.