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By Myke Agunwa, Abuja
Th Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Public Affairs, Aliyu Audu, has tendered his resigned from Pesident Bola Tinubu’s cabinet, over plots by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to push the country into a one-party state.
In a resignation letter dated June 8 and submitted via the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, Audu stated, “I write to formally tender my resignation as Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, effective immediately.”
He stated that his resignation was not an act of rebellion, but a matter of principle and conscience. He expressed reservations with the efforts to stifle political opposition in Nigeria and turn the country to a one party system.
“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,” he wrote. “That would be a betrayal of both divine favour and democratic principle.”
He criticised the current administration’s approach to dissent, warning against authoritarian tendencies reminiscent of past regimes.
“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 said.
According to him, democracy should be anchored on ideological diversity rather than political dominance, calling the suppression of opposition voices “politically reckless” and “spiritually dangerous.”
He expressed support for some of President Tinubu’s economic reforms, stressing however that he could no longer align himself with the administration’s political direction.
He specifically pointed at what he called the “unholy alliance” between President Tinubu and FCT Minister Nyesom Wike as emblematic of a broader departure from progressive values.
“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 President Tinubu with Wike,” he stated.