Bayo Onanuga, a senior member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), has stated that President-elect Bola Tinubu can rule Nigeria from Russia after being sworn in on May 29, 2023.
Onanuga, a member of the Presidential Transition Council’s Media Subcommittee, revealed this during a weekend interview with journalists.
Onanuga said he believed Tinubu, who had just left the country due to alleged pressure, would settle fully in Nigeria and face the challenges ahead when sworn in.
However, the president-elect’s spokesperson made an exception, stating that because we live in a global world, Tinubu can rule Nigeria even if he is in Russia.
I believe he would do so. But you know we now live in a global village, as they say. So, even if he is in Russia, he can hold Zoom meetings and do all kinds of things. But I can assure you that he will be here physically to do his job. He will not be an absentee kind of president, Onanuga said.
Speaking further on why the president-elect jetted out of the country days ahead of his swearing-in, Onanuga reiterated that it was to avoid distraction.
He refuted the speculations by some Nigerians that Tinubu may rule Nigeria from London like President Muhammadu Buhari at a certain time.
No, that won’t happen. You cannot imagine the kind of pressure people who are looking for positions in the government are piling on ordinary committee members, not to talk of the president-elect. People have been bringing all manner of requests. So, as the press release rightly pointed out, the travel was just to avoid pressure and distraction, the APC chieftain said.
Onanuga explained why Tinubu did not attend the Lesser Hajj in Saudi Arabia as planned shortly after the 2023 general elections, saying that the President-elect truly intended to travel for the Hajj as part of his plan to visit three countries but decided to cut off for some later.
When Tinubu left the country following the election, his aides and top APC leaders confirmed that he would travel to three countries: France (Paris), the United Kingdom, and then Saudi Arabia for the lesser hajj.
Tinubu, however, only went to Paris. Clarifying the development, Onanuga said Tinubu “Wanted to go to London to see his grandchildren, but I think that at the last minute, he decided not to go. He came back home instead.
“Also, he was in Saudi Arabia before the elections, so he decided not to go there again. So he decided to cut those ones and then decided to come home,” Onanuga told Daily Trust.
He also refuted some Nigerians’ speculation that Tinubu did not go to Saudi Arabia and London as planned because he was sick, emphasizing that the President-elect simply decided not to go.
Onanuga was the Director of Media and Publicity for the defunct APC Presidential Campaign Council, which worked to elect Tinubu and Senator Kashim Shettima as president-elect and vice-president-elect, respectively.
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER NOW
Support MATAZ ARISING’ journalism of integrity and credibility.
Good journalism ensure the possibility of a good society, an accountable democracy, and a transparent government.
We ask you to consider making a modest support to this noble endeavour.
TEXT AD: To advertise here – Email ad@matazarising.com
LATEST POSTS
-
Israel Donates First Batch Of Ambulances, Medical Equipment To Nigeria
MaTaZ ArIsInGDallas, Texas The gesture underscores the growing partnership between Nigeria and Israel in health, humanitarian aid, and technology transfer. Israel has donated the first batch of ambulances, medical equipment, and wheelchairs to Nigeria at the Port of Ashdod. The donation was made by Israel’s national emergency medical service, Magen David Adom on behalf of…
-
EFCC offers 5% reward for tips on stolen Nigerian assets abroad – Olukoyede
MaTaZ ArIsInGDallas, Texas The Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ola Olukoyede, has offered whistleblowers between 2.5 per cent and 5 per cent of recovered stolen Nigerian assets for information leading to the recovery of such assets held abroad. Olukoyede disclosed this on Wednesday while delivering a lecture at the Cambridge International Symposium on Economic…
-
Obi disagrees with Atiku on fuel subsidy removal
MaTaZ ArIsInGDallas, Texas The Presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress, NDC, Mr. Peter Obi, has disagreed with the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, over his proposed return of fuel subsidy if elected in 2027. Meanwhile, the presidential candidates of other opposition political parties, yesterday, clashed over Nigeria’s worsening…
