The Presidency has reaffirmed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will step down from office at the end of his second term in May 2031, if re-elected in the 2027 presidential election. This clarification came on Sunday, September 22, 2025, in response to allegations by former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, who claimed the President planned to remain in power beyond the constitutional limit.
In a statement signed by Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the Presidency dismissed El-Rufai’s remarks as “baseless and absurd,” describing the former governor’s claims as political fabrications born out of frustration. Onanuga stressed that President Tinubu remains a committed democrat who will strictly adhere to Nigeria’s constitutional two-term limit.
“President Tinubu is a democrat who does not intend to stay in office beyond May 28, 2031, when re-elected in 2027,” Onanuga said, adding that El-Rufai appeared unsettled by the overwhelming support the President continues to enjoy across the country, particularly in the North.
The statement also urged Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State to reach out to his predecessor, suggesting that El-Rufai might need “professional counselling” following what it described as his “hallucinations” and “unfounded stories.”
The Presidency’s clarification comes amid rising political discourse ahead of the 2027 elections, reinforcing President Tinubu’s commitment to Nigeria’s democratic process and constitutional order.
