July 08, (THEWILL) — The Presidency has accused opposition parties of working against Nigeria’s progress, describing them as enemies of national development.
Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, made the claim in a post shared on Tuesday on X.
While many Nigerians blamed the Tinubu government for worsening poverty and hardship, Onanuga described Tinubu’s administration as “the most focused and transformative in Nigeria’s history”, adding that ongoing reforms are already reshaping the country’s future.
He cited a 2022 statement by the Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II, who warned Nigerians not to expect instant solutions from reform-minded leadership.
Sanusi’s statement, delivered during the 2022 Kaduna Economic and Investment Summit, had cautioned citizens against voting for politicians who promised quick fixes.
“Please let me request from our politicians. You must prepare the minds of Nigerians for difficult decisions. Anybody who tells you that it is going to be easy, please don’t vote for him. It is either he is lying to you or he doesn’t know what job he is going to do”, Onanuga quoted the monarch.
He argued that current opposition efforts are rooted in a refusal to accept the hard but necessary economic policies introduced under Tinubu’s leadership.
Onanuga, who recalled that Emir Sanusi had “warned Nigerians what to expect from President Tinubu’s reforms”, however, alleged that “Haters of Nigeria’s progress are banding together to overthrow an administration that has been the most focused, most transformative in our history.”
THEWILL reports that the remarks came on the heels of political realignment ahead of the 2027 general elections, including the emergence of a coalition platform under the African Democratic Congress (ADC) seeking to unseat President Tinubu at the polls.
While he did not mention any specific names or parties in his post, the remarks are being viewed as a veiled reference to the ADC-led alliance, which recently drew former ministers and ex-governors of the ruling APC and opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) into its fold.
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