By Abdullahi Jalalludeen
The Presidency has dismissed fears that emerging political coalitions pose any threat to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, saying the President remains focused on steering Nigeria toward long-term development.
Speaking in Kano during a media interaction, Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Public Affairs, described the coalition leaders as “politically expired” individuals acting out of personal frustration rather than national interest.
He said the Tinubu administration is neither rattled nor distracted by the formation of opposition alliances.
According to him, those behind such movements have lost political relevance, having repeatedly failed to win the trust of Nigerians at the polls.
He went further to accuse the coalition leaders of being motivated by personal vendettas rather than genuine concern for the country.
“They are disgruntled elements crying over their exclusion from power. Listen to their interviews – it’s not about the people, it’s about themselves. Leadership is not a ‘common chop’. It is service,”
Abdulaziz emphasized that President Tinubu is focused on tough, long-term decisions necessary for Nigeria’s recovery and future prosperity.
He pointed to the removal of fuel subsidies, efforts to address currency distortions, and a halt to unsustainable borrowing as indicators of the administration’s reform-driven agenda. “A politician would have continued borrowing to pay for subsidies. But President Tinubu understands that leadership is not about popularity,”
On concerns of regional bias in infrastructure development, particularly accusations of favoring the South, Abdulaziz strongly pushed back, calling such claims “politically motivated.”
He argued that key projects inherited by the Tinubu administration in Northern Nigeria have not only been retained but fast-tracked.
“If this president wanted to marginalize the North, he could have abandoned the projects he inherited. But not one of those projects has been stopped,”
He cited major infrastructure works underway across the North, including the AKK gas pipeline nearing completion, the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano road with over ₦400 billion invested, and ongoing railway projects such as the Kano-Katsina-Maradi and Kaduna-Kano lines. Also mentioned were the Potakot–Maiduguri rail line and the Sokoto-Badagry highway, which cuts across much of Northern Nigeria and is over 60% complete.
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