Aliyu Audu, a former Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has publicly voiced his dissatisfaction with the President’s leadership style and confirmed he will not support Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.
In a recent interview aired on Arise Television’s Prime Time and monitored by Track News Online , Audu expressed deep frustration over what he described as President Tinubu’s disregard for close aides. He claimed that despite serving nearly two years in the administration and working as one of Tinubu’s official spokespersons, he never once had a personal meeting with the President.
Audu, who also leads the APC Rebirth Movement, said he felt sidelined during his tenure and criticized Tinubu’s choice of individuals he granted private audiences to. In particular, Audu pointed to a recent meeting between Tinubu and popular Afrobeats musician David Adeleke, widely known as Davido, as well as a separate audience granted to Abdul-Azeez Olajide Adediran, also known as Jandor, a former opposition politician in Lagos State.
“I worked for the President for nearly two years. I didn’t have a sit-down with him. I’m one of his spokespersons. But he sat with Davido, who insulted him a couple of weeks before. Then he sat with that Jandor, who didn’t even come second in the Lagos election. It doesn’t make sense,” Audu stated during the interview.
Audu questioned the rationale behind the President’s decision to meet with individuals who had either criticized him publicly or previously contested elections against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). He argued that such actions sent the wrong signal to those who had remained loyal within Tinubu’s political circle.
His comments come shortly after Davido and his uncle, Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, were hosted by President Tinubu at his private residence in Ikoyi, Lagos. The meeting took place just days before Audu’s resignation became public.
Davido, who is known to have criticized President Tinubu in the past, has not publicly commented on the nature or purpose of the meeting. Similarly, no official statement was released regarding the visit, further fueling speculations about the significance of such private engagements.
In addition to the meeting with Davido, President Tinubu also received Jandor at an earlier date. Jandor, who ran for Lagos State Governor in 2023 under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had only recently defected from the PDP at the time of his meeting with the President.
Audu expressed dismay that a former opponent like Jandor would be granted access so quickly, while trusted aides like himself were allegedly kept at a distance. He implied that the President’s approach undermined the loyalty and hard work of those who had supported him from within the party ranks.
The former aide’s public remarks reflect growing internal discontent within certain factions of the APC. As the convener of the APC Rebirth Movement, Audu has been vocal about the need for reforms within the party and has frequently criticized what he sees as a deviation from its founding principles.
Audu’s resignation marks a clear shift in his political alignment, and his stated refusal to back Tinubu in 2027 adds to speculation about potential challenges to the President’s re-election efforts from within his own party.
So far, the Presidency has not issued a response to Audu’s statements, and it remains unclear whether his comments will have any broader impact on internal party dynamics. However, the public airing of grievances by a former insider suggests that all is not well within the APC’s communications ranks.
As the political landscape begins to take shape ahead of the 2027 general elections, President Tinubu may face increasing scrutiny not only from the opposition but also from figures who once supported his rise to power.
