Tinubu’s Aide, Onanuga Deletes Controversial Tweet Downplaying Northern Votes in Buhari’s Victories

Presidential aide Bayo Onanuga has deleted a controversial tweet in which he appeared to downplay the role of northern votes in Muhammadu Buhari’s presidential victories in 2015 and 2019.

The backlash began after an X user posted a video showing a massive crowd at a Buhari campaign rally in Ibadan, suggesting that the former president had strong support across Nigeria, not just in the North. Onanuga responded to the clip by saying, “A video to rejig the memory of those who claimed only Buhari’s 12 million votes gave him the presidency in 2015 and 2019.”

The comment quickly drew criticism, with many accusing him of diminishing the North’s pivotal contribution to Buhari’s election wins. For years, Buhari’s consistent support base in the region—often referred to as his “12 million bloc votes”—has been widely acknowledged as a key factor in both elections.

Amid growing backlash, Onanuga quietly deleted the tweet without offering any explanation, prompting further reactions from users who saw the move as a silent admission of fault.

The incident comes at a sensitive moment, as Nigerians continue to mourn Buhari, who died on Sunday in a London hospital at the age of 82. Many viewed Onanuga’s comment as ill-timed and needlessly divisive, especially in the wake of national mourning.