The special adviser on information and strategy to President Bola Tinubu, Bayo Onanuga said it “makes no sense” for opposition figures such as Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar to seek the presidency in 2027 while calling for a reversal of the administration’s economic policies, following public praise for those measures by billionaire industrialist Aliko Dangote.
Onanuga made the remarks Monday on X, reacting to comments Dangote made at the formal launch of the Initial Public Offering (IPO) for shares in the Dangote Refinery.
At the NGX event in Lagos, Dangote commended Tinubu for what he described as bold economic decisions, specifically the removal of the fuel subsidy, the move to democratize the foreign-exchange rate, and support for the refinery project.
“I want to thank him for taking a lot of bold steps by removing the subsidy and democratising the exchange rate,” Dangote said, framing the reforms as critical to repositioning the economy.
Seizing on Dangote’s remarks, Onanuga argued that no politician should be advocating a rollback of Tinubu’s programmes, which he said were “making Nigeria great.”
“Atiku and Peter Obi, who badly want President Tinubu’s job, should listen to the encomium Aliko Dangote has showered on Tinubu and his policies,” Onanuga wrote.
“It doesn’t make any sense for any politician to advocate a reversal of the policies that are making Nigeria great”, he added.
The comments come as the presidency has repeatedly rejected Atiku’s pledge to reintroduce some form of fuel subsidy if elected, warning that such a move would undermine reforms, fiscal stability and investment in the refining sector.
The exchange underscores a widening fault line ahead of the January 2027 election: while Tinubu’s camp portrays subsidy removal and FX liberalization as necessary, painful medicine, some rivals are promising targeted relief or partial reinstatement of support mechanisms for households and small businesses.
Peter Obi, for his part, has said he would retain the floating of the naira if elected, though he emphasized boosting productivity to strengthen the currency rather than defending the policy as it stands.
Onanuga’s latest intervention follows earlier, sharper criticism of Obi, whom he has described as “overhyped” and “overrated,” and of Atiku’s subsidy proposal, which he dismissed as “retrogressive” and driven by “desperation to win the presidency”.
