BY SEGUN ADEBAYO – Days after begging Nigerians to be patient with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration, the Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Public Affairs, Aliyu Audu, has resigned from office.
Conveying his decision to thrown in the towel and quit the government, Audu thanked President Tinubu for the opportunity to serve but kept mute on specific reasons for his abrupt departure.
In his resignation letter dated June 8, 2025, Audu said; “I write to formally tender my resignation as Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, effective immediately”.
Audu, who was appointed in October 2023 on the recommendation of Tinubu’s former Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, said, “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.”
Meanwhile, a personal statement which surfaced online, quoted Audu as saying; “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. We are still here for the attacks and counterattacks.”
Interestingly, Audu’s resignation is coming just a week after he appeared on Channels Television’s programme, The Beam, to defend the Tinubu-led administration’s policies.
In the programme aired on June 2, 2025, Audu had urged Nigerians to be patient with the President’s economic reforms, saying; “I honestly think that in another four to six years, a lot of jobs will be created”.
Further defending the administration, 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.
“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”.
