Presidency Denies Tinubu's Alleged Voice Note to Obi

The Presidency of Nigeria, through Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, responded to a circulating WhatsApp voice note purportedly featuring President Bola Tinubu. In the audio, Tinubu allegedly requests opposition figure Peter Obi to step down ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

Onanuga condemned the audio as a fabrication and announced plans for legal action against the social media critic known as VeryDarkMan, who shared the audio. He described the situation as an egregious abuse of social media platforms.

The controversy arises as Tinubu, representing the All Progressives Congress (APC), recently secured his presidential ticket in a nationwide direct primary election held on May 23, 2026, winning 10,999,162 votes against challenger Stanlei Osifo, who garnered 16,503 votes. Peter Obi, who finished third in the 2023 election, is expected to represent the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) in the upcoming polls.