Mr. Aliyu Audu has stepped down from his role as President Bola Tinubu’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs. Audu’s letter of resignation, dated June 8, 2025, was sent by Femi Gbajabiamila, the president’s chief of staff. “I write to formally tender my resignation as Senior Special Assistant to the president on Public Affairs, effective immediately,” the letter states in part.
In his explanation for his resignation, Audu stated that he would not allow the All Progressives Congress, the federal administration led by the APC, to exploit him as a means of turning Nigeria into a one-party state. Audu’s resignation was accompanied by the following statement: “Good morning, fellow compatriots, I must add that my resignation, which has received a lot of attention, was an act of conscience rather than rebellion. “Even though I disagree with the PDP, I will not be used as a tool to turn Nigeria into a one-party state, either directly or indirectly. That would be a breach of democratic principles as well as divine favour.
We owe it to God and to future generations to defend principles that reflect fairness, balance, and liberty in light of everything that God has done for our country, particularly in these trying times. Healthy competition, not political domination, is the lifeblood of true democracy. “We are no different from the very system we once criticised under Obasanjo in 2003 if we now start to silence or crush opposition just because we have the upper hand.” Such a course is not only harmful from a political standpoint, but also from a spiritual one.
Suppressing different voices, he pointed out, is regression rather than leadership. “And it goes against the divine order, which supports freedom of choice and diversity of thought,” Audu continued. Even belief and doubt can coexist because God is wise. So why should we, as mere mortals, be afraid of intellectual diversity? “Let’s create a Nigeria where our strength is in our maturity to compete with ideas, vision, and integrity, not in our uniformity. Then and only then can we say that we are making progress. May Allah SWT guide us towards righteousness and pardon our transgressions.
Not only did I contribute to the establishment of our administration, but I also think that economic reforms have been successful, therefore I will keep supporting it. We simply have different political philosophies. I take great satisfaction in being a progressive and an advocate for democratic principles, which appear to be lost in the PBAT’s unholy collaboration with Wike.
