Onanuga blasts El-Rufai, Obi, Amaechi, says they’re ‘political laggards’

Presidential aide, Bayo Onanuga, has lashed out at former Kaduna governor Nasir El-Rufai, ex-Anambra governor Peter Obi, and former Rivers governor Rotimi Amaechi, describing them as “political laggards and underachievers” whose records in office cannot rival President Bola Tinubu’s performance in just two years.

Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, made the remarks in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, while responding to El-Rufai’s claim that Tinubu has no clear path to re-election in 2027.

In a Sunday interview with Channels Television, El-Rufai argued that despite incumbency advantages, Tinubu could, at best, come third in the next presidential election, warning that state power and resources do not guarantee victory.

Quoting the interview, Onanuga dismissed El-Rufai and his allies as “politically displaced and irrelevant,” accusing them of plotting against Tinubu despite having underwhelming legacies themselves.

He contrasted their records with what he described as Tinubu’s “meaningful changes” in just two years, citing increased foreign reserves, historic gains in the stock market, harmonisation of the exchange rate, growing foreign investment, and four consecutive months of falling inflation.

According to him, GDP has expanded by ₦103.5 trillion, balance of payments have swung to surplus, and vulnerable Nigerians are now being supported through the NELFUND student loan scheme and cash transfers from the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs.

Onanuga also highlighted record national revenue, rising allocations to states and councils, and improved capacity for job creation, stressing that governors themselves have admitted “they have never had it so good.”

He concluded by dismissing opposition forces as “power-hungry politicians desperate to oust a President who is delivering results,” adding: “May they never succeed in their plot against our nation and people.”