Presidency Denies Directing Northern Ministers To Defend Tinubu

The Presidency has dismissed claims that it instructed northern ministers in President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet to aggressively defend the administration against mounting criticism from opposition figures.

Naija News reports that this reaction comes amid reports suggesting that the Presidency had issued marching orders to key political leaders, ministers, and top appointees to counter negative narratives from critics.

Responding to the reports, a Presidency official who spoke with Punch insisted that the northern ministers speaking in favour of Tinubu were doing their jobs and had not been coerced.

The official further explained that it is standard practice for public officeholders to respond to criticism, especially concerning the administration’s policies and governance.

The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, stated, “Those ministers are doing their jobs. Nobody asked them to respond. They are simply doing their jobs. When you find a lot of people just talking as they like, somebody needs to react to them and tell them that what they are saying is not the truth.

“Being in government, they need to speak for the government. It is not just for the Minister of Information. Whether a minister is from the North, South or the East, they need to speak.”