I left Tinubu’s govt to plot his 2027 defeat — Former aide Aliyu Audu declares

In a bold and defiant move, former Senior Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Public Affairs, Aliyu Audu, has resigned from the administration, announcing his intention to actively campaign against Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.

Audu, speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Monday, said his decision was guided by “principle and conscience,” accusing the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of plotting to turn Nigeria into a one-party dictatorship.

Citing President Tinubu’s Democracy Day speech — where Tinubu said he enjoyed watching the opposition in disarray — Audu said the moment only reinforced his resolve to oppose the president.

“I couldn’t in good conscience remain in a government while secretly working to remove it. But let it be clear: I will campaign against Tinubu in 2027, and by God’s grace, we will remove him,” Audu said passionately. “Not emilokan (my turn), but awa lokan (our turn) — in fact, gbogbo wa lokan (all of us).”

Audu also took aim at the inclusion of PDP’s Nyesom Wike, now serving as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory under Tinubu, calling it an insult to party loyalty and democratic ideals.

“What’s Wike doing in our government?” Audu asked. “If we want a government of national unity, then engage political parties — not political opportunists. We voted for APC, not individuals.”

In his resignation letter dated June 8, Audu condemned the APC’s trajectory and warned of a dangerous drift toward authoritarianism. He later clarified in a statement that while he does not support the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), he refuses to participate in “crushing the opposition” and “reducing Nigeria to a one-party state.”

“If we now begin to silence or crush opposition simply because we have the upper hand,” he warned, “then we’re no better than the system we fought against in 2003 under Obasanjo.”

Audu’s dramatic departure has sent ripples through political circles, signaling that discontent within the APC’s inner ranks may be deeper than previously thought — and that opposition to Tinubu’s 2027 ambition is already gathering steam from within.