JUST IN: President Tinubu’s aide resigns

Aliyu Audu, the Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Public Affairs, has tendered his resignation.

In a letter dated June 8, 2025, Audu expressed gratitude to President Tinubu for the privilege of serving in his administration but did not disclose any specific reasons for his sudden departure.

“I write to formally tender my resignation as Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, effective immediately,” the letter read.

Audu was appointed on October 9, 2023, on the recommendation of Tinubu’s former Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale.

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He added, I am equally thankful to Your Excellency for graciously approving my appointment on the 9th of October, 2023.

“It has been an honour to contribute to the public communication efforts of this administration. Please accept the assurances of my highest esteem and continued prayers for the success of your leadership and the progress of our beloved nation,” he wrote.

However, following the resignation, a personal statement credited to Audu surfaced online, in which he spoke on the reason for his exit.

It reads: “I have seen many comments about my resignation and I must say it is not act of rebellion but of conscience.

“Though I do not align with the PDP, I refuse to be used directly or indirectly as an instrument to reduce Nigeria to a one-party state. That would be a betrayal of both divine favour and democratic principle.

“After all that God has done for us as a nation, especially in these times, we owe it to Him and to posterity to uphold values that reflect justice, balance, and liberty. True democracy thrives on healthy competition, not political domination.

“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 criticized under Obasanjo in 2003. Such a path is not only politically reckless; it is spiritually dangerous.”

“Suppressing alternative voices is not leadership but it is regression. And it runs contrary to the divine order, which upholds freedom of choice and diversity of thought. God, in His wisdom, allows even belief and disbelief to coexist. Why then should we, mere mortals, fear ideological pluralism?

“Let us build a Nigeria where our strength lies not in uniformity, but in the maturity to compete with ideas, vision, and integrity. Only then can we truly say we are progressing. May Allah SWT forgive us our shortcomings and direct us on the path of righteousness.

“I will continue to support our government in power not just because I helped bring it but also because I believe in the success recorded in the area of economic reforms.

“We just differ on political views as I pride myself with being a progressive and a promoter of democratic values which seems to be lost in the unholy alliance of PBAT with Wike.

“That does not mean our gbas gbos will seize o. We still here for the attacks and counterattacks.”

Meanwhile, Audu’s resignation comes just a week after his appearance on Channels Television’s The Beam, where he defended the Tinubu administration’s policies and urged Nigerians to be patient with the president’s economic reforms.

“I honestly think that in another four to six years, a lot of jobs will be created,” he said.

“The president recently launched the Nigerian Credit Guarantee Scheme with an initial startup fund of ₦100 billion. What this does is improve the spending power of the average Nigerian,” he explained.

“There are certain processes in terms of mission building, moving from underdevelopment to being developed. We have examples across the world. It took an average of 35 years for Singapore, 50 years for India, and a couple of others. But we are Nigerians, we are different. It doesn’t have to take that long,” he said on the programme on June 2.

(The Whistler)