Bayo Onanuga: Tinubu won’t be distracted by coalition of frustrated politicians

Bayo Onanuga, special adviser on information and strategy to President Bola Tinubu, says his principal would not be distracted by a coalition of politicians.

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar had said he and other opposition politicians will form a coalition to wrest power from the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027.

Atiku spoke in Abuja on Thursday at a press conference organised by concerned leaders and political stakeholders over the state of emergency declared in Rivers state by Tinubu.

Nasir el-Rufai, former governor of Kaduna; Emeka Ihedioha, former governor of Imo; Salihu Lukman, a former member of the APC national working committee (NWC); Babachir Lawal, ex-secretary to the government of the federation (SGF); among others, attended the press briefing.

In a statement on Thursday, Onanuga said Tinubu is focused on building a prosperous country.

He added that two months to his midterm, the president has many solid achievements to showcase, with intractable problems being tackled headlong.

“He cannot be distracted by the so-called coalition of politicians. They are not politicians after the Public Good. It’s all about their self-interest,” he wrote on X. 

“They are disgruntled. They are a frustrated lot. The leaders are sore losers. The coalition is an amalgam of Tinubu haters. Their agenda is to stop Tinubu.”

Rivers state has been at the centre of a deepening political feud between Siminalayi Fubara, governor of the state, and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, current minister of the federal capital territory (FCT).

On Tuesday, Tinubu appointed Ibok-Ete Ibas, a retired naval chief, as the sole administrator for Rivers.

The move has been widely criticised, with many eminent personalities and bodies calling for its reversal.