Presidency rejects El-Rufai’s claim, says Tinubu won’t exceed 2031
By Jeffrey Agbo
The Presidency has refuted assertions by former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai that President Bola Tinubu is plotting to become a “life president,” clarifying that the President has no ambition to remain in power beyond 2031 if he secures a second term.
Over the weekend, El-Rufai urged former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to unite Nigerians against Tinubu in the 2027 elections, accusing the current government of concentrating power instead of decentralising it.
“If we don’t come together and end this Tinubu administration by 2027, Tinubu will try to be our Paul Biya, to be president for life. All the signs are there, this is how Paul Biya started,” El-Rufai said.
Responding through a statement on Sunday, presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga described the former governor’s remarks as “unfounded claims and speculations.”
He added, “It is increasingly evident that El-Rufai has recognised the futility of attempts by his associates in his new party to prevent President Tinubu’s likely re-election in 2027. This plot is proving to be unattainable, a mission doomed to fail.”
Onanuga argued that Tinubu continues to enjoy broad support, particularly in the North, pointing to the warm welcome he received in Kaduna last Friday.
According to him, El-Rufai “resorted to spreading further unfounded stories, including the claim that President Tinubu intends to become a ‘life president’ because of Tinubu’s reception in the Northwest state.
“This stands in stark contrast to El-Rufai’s narrative that the region has abandoned the President,” he said.
The Presidency dismissed El-Rufai’s suggestion of a tenure extension as “baseless and absurd.”
Onanuga emphasised, “President Tinubu is a democrat who does not intend to stay in office beyond May 28, 2031, when re-elected in 2027.”
He further remarked that Kaduna Governor Uba Sani might need to intervene with his predecessor, suggesting that “El-Rufai could benefit from some professional counselling to steer him away from his recent hallucinations and political fabrications on Tinubu and 2027.”
