Mr. Aliyu Audu has resigned his appointment as Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs to President Bola Tinubu, citing concerns over efforts to suppress political opposition in Nigeria.
In a resignation letter dated June 8 and submitted through the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, Audu announced his immediate departure from the position, stating:
“I write to formally tender my resignation as Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, effective immediately.”
In a separate public statement, Audu said his decision was not a rebellion but an act of conscience.
He declared his refusal to be part of a perceived push by the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government to establish a one-party state.
“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,” Audu wrote. “That would be a betrayal of both divine favour and democratic principle.”
He criticised efforts to silence or crush opposition voices, warning that such actions mirror the authoritarianism Nigerians had previously condemned.
“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 criticised under Obasanjo in 2003,” he noted.
Audu emphasised that democracy thrives on ideological competition and not political domination, adding that suppressing dissent was both “politically reckless” and “spiritually dangerous.”
While reaffirming his support for some of President Tinubu’s economic policies, he distanced himself from the administration’s political direction, particularly referencing the “unholy alliance” between Tinubu and FCT Minister Nyesom Wike.
“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,” he said.
