Presidency Reacts To Trending Video Of Ex-Power Minister Asking Nigerians To Reject Tinubu, Apc

The Presidency has dismissed a viral video purportedly showing former Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu calling on Nigerians to vote against President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general election, describing the report as misleading and based on an old recording taken out of context.

Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, addressed the controversy in a post on X, accusing opposition elements of circulating the footage to misinform the public and create the impression that Adelabu had turned against the ruling party.

Onanuga maintained that the former minister did not make a nationwide appeal for Nigerians to reject the APC, arguing that the circumstances surrounding the original recording needed to be considered before conclusions were drawn.

“Adebayo Adelabu did not say Nigerians should reject the APC nationwide. The opposition is manipulating an old audio recording and spreading false information. A simple fact check should have cleared the air,” Onanuga wrote.

Adelabu’s media office had also rejected the allegation in a statement issued in October 2026, describing the report as false and malicious. The statement suggested that the claim was intended to damage the former minister’s relationship with Tinubu and the APC leadership.

According to the media office, the viral clip was extracted from an interview Adelabu granted in 2022, when he was the governorship candidate of the Accord Party in Oyo State. It explained that his comments reflected the political circumstances at the time and were not directed at Tinubu’s administration or the APC’s chances in the 2027 elections.

The statement said Adelabu had argued during the interview that Nigerians had become disappointed with political parties and should pay greater attention to the integrity, competence and personal character of candidates when deciding whom to support at the polls.

His media team insisted that the remarks should not be interpreted as a call for voters across the country to reject the APC or oppose the president.

“Adelabu has neither renounced his loyalty to the President nor called on Nigerians to reject the APC. Those peddling such claims should produce verifiable evidence of the alleged statement rather than seek to manufacture controversy through falsehood,” the statement said

The former minister’s media office also addressed concerns surrounding the APC’s governorship nomination process in Oyo State. It alleged that the exercise had generated controversy over claims that a preferred aspirant was being imposed and that the results of the primary election had not been released transparently.

Despite those reported grievances, the statement maintained that Adelabu had consistently expressed his intention to remain in the APC and had not withdrawn his support for Tinubu. It argued that demanding fairness, openness and internal democracy within the party should not automatically be interpreted as disloyalty to its leadership.

Adelabu’s media team further challenged those sharing the viral recording to publish the complete, unedited interview so that Nigerians could assess his comments in their original context. It also urged journalists and members of the public to verify politically sensitive information before circulating it online.

Onanuga’s intervention comes as political activity and exchanges between supporters of the ruling party and opposition groups intensify ahead of the 2027 general election. Questions surrounding party loyalty, candidate selection and the positions of prominent political figures have increasingly featured in public discussions.

The controversy has centred on whether Adelabu’s comments from his 2022 interview have been presented in a way that gives the impression he is campaigning against the APC and Tinubu ahead of the next election.

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