Another Tinubu's Aide Resigns With Immediate Effect

• President Bola Tinubu's senior special assistant on public affairs, Aliyu Audu, has tendered his resignation from the presidency
• The presidential aide made this known in a one-page letter, dated Sunday, June 8, submitted to the office of Nigeria's Chief of Staff
• With this, Audu has now become the second presidential aide to resign from President Tinubu's retinue in the space of three months

Aliyu Audu, a senior special assistant to President Bola Tinubu on public affairs, has resigned from the presidency on Monday, June 9, becoming the second presidential aide to resign from the administration in 2025.

The former presidential aide tendered his resignation letter in a one-page letter dated Sunday, June 8, that was submitted to the office of the Chief of Staff to the country, adding that his resignation would take immediate effect.

Audu thanked the president for the opportunity to serve Nigeria under his administration, describing him as a visionary leader.

He also hailed Ajuri Ngelale, a former presidential spokesperson, for recommending him for the position on August 26, 2023.

Tinubu's media aide resigns from presidency

He stressed that he was honoured to have contributed to the public communication efforts of Tinubu's government.

In the letter, he also promised to continue to pray for the government, the success of the leadership and the progress of the country.

According to The Punch, the presidency has yet to respond to the resignation letter tendered by the former presidential aide.

Audu's resignation came barely three months after Hakeem Baba-Ahmed left as special adviser on political matters to the Vice-President.

When did President Tinubu appoint Baba-Ahmed?

The President appointed Baba-Ahmed as a special adviser on political matters to the office of Vice-President Kashim Shettima in September 2023.

The former northern leader has represented the presidency at several public events in the last 17 months.

One of his recent representations of the presidency was the national conference theme: 'Strengthening Nigeria’s Democracy: Pathway to Good Governance and Political Integrity'.

This was held on January 28 and 29, 2025, in Abuja.

Criticism against Baba-Ahmed as Tinubu's appointee

The appointment of Bala to the presidency had drawn criticism at some points. One such reaction came from Bello Matawalle, the current Minister of State for Defence.

In April 2024, the minister appeared to take a swipe at Baba-Ahmed when he emphasised that northern appointees in Tinubu's administration must not remain silent amid intimidation or misrepresentation of the current government.

Matawalle's comment followed the former aide's criticism of the minister's description of the northern elders forum as a 'political paperweight'.

The minister's position was a response to the group's statement that the north had made a mistake for voting for Tinubu in the 2023 election.

Tinubu aide’s exit: Analyst links resignation to power shift

A political analyst, Dr. Onasupo Thompson, has weighed in on the recent resignations of Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, special adviser on political matters, and Aliyu Audu, senior special assistant on public affairs, to President Bola Tinubu.

Reacting to the development in a chat with Legit.ng, Thompson suggested the exit may be tied to perceived internal power shifts within the administration.

“There has been a kind of Yorubanisation agenda rather and even within this ethnicization, the Lagos boys as I would call them seems to be taking over the government from Chief of Staff whose office now has the highest budget since the history of the office was created to other appointments.”

“All these seem to have diverged from the initial agreement ‘I will continue from where Buhari stopped.’ It is this that is causing a few resignations.”

He further noted that the trend could signal more departures in the coming months:

“It will give other disgruntled elements within the ruling party the opportunity to also know that they are not under bondage and that they can resign too. By this, we are going to be witnessing more resignations in the future.”

Analyst says loyalty cracks are often hidden

A public policy analyst, Daniel Akinlami, has dismissed the political weight of President Bola Tinubu’s aide who recently resigned, saying the move may not reflect any immediate or significant shift within the administration.

“Those ones could not really point to anything for now. The aide that resigned doesn't carry any weight, he doesn't have a political clout to shape such dynamics,” Akinlami told Legit.ng.

He explained that not all resignations should be taken at face value, noting that apparent departures may not always reveal deeper political meanings.

“Those leaving may not point to anything. You don't see these things with your eyes, it’s done codedly.”

Akinlami also suggested that loyalty within the presidency may not be as unified as it appears.

“They might be having dinner inside Aso Rock and they are just there physically but their mind and spirit are not with Tinubu,” he added.

How to stop presidents from removing the VP

Legit.ng also previously reported that President Bola Tinubu's alleged rift with Vice President Kashim Shettima had been dismissed by Barrister Oladotun Hassan.

He stated that the rumours should not be entertained and suggested that people should be allowed to pick forms and contest the VP position to stop dismissal claims.

Editorial assistant Ololade Olatimehin provided exclusive commentary from a public policy analyst and political analyst for this report.

Proofreading by Bruce Douglas, copy editor at Legit.ng.

Source: Legit.ng