Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has stated that opposition figures are free to form alliances, as they pose no threat to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Onanuga made this known while speaking during an interview on Arise Television’s ‘Prime Time’ on Thursday. July 10, 2025.

Onanuga stated that Tinubu’s achievements will speak for him in the next elections, emphasising that it will be impossible for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) 2023 presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar and former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, to defeat his principal.

Tinubu’s aide also slammed the coalition, saying, “They are jumping the gun; it is not yet time for politicking.”

He added, “They are free to form alliances but as far as the APC is concerned we are not seeing them as any threat…If you merge Peter Obi and Atiku together, there is no way the two of them can beat a Bola Tinubu and Shettima ticket. It is going to be impossible.”

In other news, the presidency has asserted that President Bola Tinubu was instrumental in the emergence of Muhammadu Buhari as Nigeria’s President in 2015, attributing former President Goodluck Jonathan’s defeat to his failure to secure crucial backing from the South-West region.

Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, made the claim on Thursday via his official 𝕏 (formerly Twitter) account, where he outlined Tinubu’s role in delivering victory for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2015.

According to Onanuga, any debate about President Tinubu’s political weight must begin with an acknowledgement of his strategic contribution to Buhari’s historic win.

He said, “Tinubu ensured that Buhari clinched the APC presidential ticket by overcoming strong challengers like Atiku Abubakar and Rabiu Kwankwaso. But more critically, he gave Buhari what he had always lacked, geographical spread and additional votes from the South-West.”

Onanuga emphasised that Buhari had long enjoyed support in the North, consistently polling around 12 million votes in previous elections. However, it was Tinubu’s ability to rally the South-West that tipped the scales in 2015.