Aliyu Audu, Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Public Affairs, has formally resigned from his position, raising alarm over what he described as attempts to steer Nigeria toward becoming a one-party state.
Audu’s resignation took immediate effect and was submitted via a letter dated June 8, 2025, through the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.
While expressing continued support for the Tinubu administration’s economic reforms, Audu made it clear he could no longer, in good conscience, serve in a government that is, in his words, “stifling the country’s democratic space.”
“I am not defecting to the PDP or any other opposition party,” Audu clarified. “But I also cannot lend my name to efforts that seem determined to crush alternative political voices.”
He expressed concern over what he described as unsettling political realignments and strategic moves geared toward consolidating power within a single dominant party — a trajectory he warned could roll back decades of democratic gains.
“True leadership,” Audu stated, “encourages the free contest of ideas, diversity of thought, and a fair playing field for all political actors — not the silencing or weakening of opposition.”
Framing his decision not as an act of rebellion but one of principle, Audu called it a moral obligation born of his belief in democratic values and responsible governance.
He cautioned that Nigeria’s political history has repeatedly demonstrated the dangers of shrinking democratic space, and urged that the current trajectory be reversed to preserve the health of the nation’s democracy.
Though he has stepped away from public office, Audu reaffirmed his commitment to shaping national dialogue and political thought — even from outside government.
