In a bold political move, Aliyu Audu, who served as Senior Special Adviser on Public Affairs to President Bola Tinubu, announced his resignation from the government to focus on opposing Tinubu’s bid for a second term in 2027. During an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, Audu cited “principle and conscience” as the driving forces behind his decision, accusing the APC of attempting to monopolize power in Nigeria.
Audu referenced President Tinubu’s Democracy Day address, where the president expressed pleasure at the disarray within opposition parties. “It confirmed it on one hand, and on the other hand, it strengthened my resolve to not work for him in 2027,” Audu said, underscoring his determination to work towards Tinubu’s removal.
He passionately stated, “I couldn’t in all honesty and in my conscience be in his government knowing I’m plotting against removal in 2027, because I will, and by God, we will remove him.” Audu envisions a democratic process where Nigerians collectively choose their leader, rejecting the idea of power being a personal entitlement. “Not emilokan (my turn), but awa lokan (our turn), in fact, gbogbo wa lokan (all of us),” he emphasized.
Audu also raised concerns about the inclusion of Nyesom Wike, a PDP member serving as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, in the APC-led government. He questioned the loyalty and rationale behind such appointments, stating, “If he’s going to leave the PDP, he should leave. If we’re doing a government of national unity, you deal with the party, not individuals.”
His resignation letter, dated June 8, expressed deep dissatisfaction with the APC’s political trajectory and warned against the deliberate suppression of opposition voices. Audu clarified that while he does not support the PDP, he refuses to be an instrument in turning Nigeria into a one-party state. “If we now begin to silence or crush opposition simply because we have the upper hand, then we are no different from the very system we once criticised under Obasanjo in 2003,” he concluded.
