Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, has declared that opposition leaders can form alliances as long as they do not constitute a threat to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Onanuga reportedly stated this during an interview on Arise Television’s ‘Prime Time’ on Thursday, July 10, 2025.
Onanuga added that Tinubu’s accomplishments will speak for him in the upcoming elections, emphasizing that Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate for 2023, and Peter Obi, former Governor of Anambra State, will be unable to beat his principal.
Tinubu’s assistant also attacked the alliance, adding, “They are jumping the gun; it is not yet time for politicking.”
He stated that while they are allowed to establish partnerships, the APC does not consider them a danger. If Peter Obi and Atiku run together, they will not be able to beat a Bola Tinubu and Shettima ticket. “It will be impossible.”
In other events, the president has claimed that President Bola Tinubu played a key role in the election of Muhammadu Buhari as Nigeria’s President in 2015, blaming former President Goodluck Jonathan’s defeat on his failure to garner critical support from the South West region.
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Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, made the assertion on Thursday via his official 𝕏 (previously Twitter) account, highlighting Tinubu’s involvement in achieving victory for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2015.
According to Onanuga, any discussion of President Tinubu’s political weight must begin with an appreciation of his strategic role in Buhari’s historic victory.
He stated, “Tinubu ensured that Buhari won the APC presidential ticket by defeating strong challengers such as Atiku Abubakar and Rabiu Kwankwaso.” But, more importantly, he offered Buhari what he had long lacked: geographical breadth and additional votes from the South-West.
Onanuga emphasized that Buhari had always been popular in the North, routinely collecting about 12 million votes in prior elections. However, Tinubu’s ability to unite the South-West swayed the scales in 2015.
