The former southeast campaign spokesman to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Dr. Josef Onoh, has countered Senator Kabiru Marafa’s recent vow to deduct one million votes from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s tally in the 2027 presidential election.
Onoh also flared Marafa’s “use-and-dump” leadership style allegation on Tinubu, stating that Marafa appeared to be driven more by personal grievances than by objective assessments of the Tinubu administration.
Onoh said that Marafa’s threat of reducing Tinubu’s votes could only be achieved by a political numerical magician.
Onoh in defence of the President provided a broader context of Tinubu’s leadership and commitment to Nigeria, including Zamfara State, saying that “Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. It’s perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we’ve learned something from yesterday.”
He described as false claim by Marafa that Zamfara is the most sidelined state in Nigeria, stating that President Tinubu’s administration has prioritized equitable resource allocation and infrastructure development across Nigeria’s geopolitical zones under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
“For instance, the Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, recently clarified that infrastructure projects have been distributed fairly across the six geopolitical zones.
“Although the southeast strongly disagree but it accepts that under the current administration, the five southeast governors and all other state governors have received more allocations than any governor since 1999. So, we can’t blame the president for their failure to develop the region with significant investments on roads, agriculture, and security nationwide.”
Onoh stated that contrary to Marafa’s assertion, Zamfara state has not been neglected as it was allocated a key position with Bello Matawalle as Minister of State for Defence – a critical role given Zamfara’s security challenges.
“This appointment reflects Tinubu’s recognition of Zamfara’s strategic importance in addressing banditry and insecurity in the North-West. Marafa’s criticism that Tinubu’s government has failed to address insecurity in Zamfara is an oversimplification. The administration has taken concrete steps to tackle banditry and kidnapping, including deploying security forces and enhancing intelligence operations.
“While Marafa claims security was only deployed during elections, the reality is that Tinubu’s government has sustained efforts to combat insecurity nationwide, including Zamfara state where banditry remains a complex challenge inherited from previous administrations.
“The President has also initiated reforms in the security architecture, such as increased funding for the military and police, to ensure long-term stability. Blaming Tinubu for ongoing security issues ignores the deep-rooted nature of these challenges and the administration’s ongoing efforts to address them.
“Marafa’s accusation that Tinubu failed to reform the APC’s internal reward system and instead institutionalized a ‘monkey dey work, baboon dey chop’ culture to a great extent I concede to be true, and hopefully the president will change the narrative soon,” Onoh accepted.
He stated that President Tinubu has worked to strengthen the APC’s unity and inclusivity, ensuring that party loyalists across regions are rewarded.
“But the fault can be found in the various greedy party stakeholders who the president has saddled with distributing the rewards amongst key party loyalists but rather they distribute it amongst family members and personal associates who mostly worked against the president.
“We have a beehive of them in the administration but in fairness to the President key northern leaders, including Vice President Kashim Shettima, hold prominent positions in the administration.
“Marafa’s claim of being sidelined overlooks the fact that political appointments are based on merit, loyalty, and strategic considerations, not merely personal expectations. His resignation from the APC and subsequent attacks suggest a reaction to unmet personal ambitions rather than systemic betrayal which is understandable going by his efforts and personal expectations and anyone in his shoes will do exactly the same.”
He said that Tinubu’s leadership has focused on building a broad-based coalition, but that his efforts are undermined by most of the people he aims at building such coalition.
“Marafa’s contributions in 2023 are appreciated, but political loyalty cannot guarantee every individual’s desired role. If that be the criteria then I can boldly say that the Tinubu led government has been most unfair to me which is true in every way but never for one day have I complained because my support is rooted for the love of country above personal gains which is now lost in modern Nigeria politics.
“Marafa’s assertion that he can deduct one million votes from Tinubu’s 2023 tally is ambitious but questionable. In the 2023 presidential election, Tinubu secured 1,453,452 votes in the North-West, with Zamfara contributing a significant portion due to the APC’s strong campaign, in which Marafa played a role.
However, his claim to single-handedly influence one million votes ignores the collective efforts of the APC’s structure and the broader voter sentiment in Zamfara state.
“Marafa’s reference to Governor Dauda Lawal’s 2023 victory as evidence of shifting political alignments exaggerates his own influence. Lawal’s win was driven by multiple factors, including local dynamics and anti-incumbency sentiment, not solely Marafa’s political clout. The 2027 election will be determined by Tinubu’s performance and the APC’s campaign, not by one individual’s defection.
“Marafa’s use-and-dump accusation is a mischaracterization of Tinubu’s leadership style although not perfect yet throughout his political career, Tinubu as a person has been known for nurturing alliances and rewarding loyalty contrary to the APC as a party with various personal interest groups which their selfish interests should not be used to judge President Tinubu’s personal reward system.
“For instance, his continued support for Vice President Shettima and other northern leaders, even non northern leaders like Senate President Godswill Akpabio demonstrates a commitment to inclusivity. Marafa’s comparison to Nasir El-Rufai and Abdullahi Ganduje is selective; both leaders faced unique political circumstances, and their situations do not reflect a broader pattern of betrayal. Tinubu’s administration has appointed numerous northerners to key positions, including ministers, agency heads, and security chiefs, debunking claims of marginalization.
“If one should speak of marginalization, myself as a southeastern have all moral justification to speak out on behalf of my region because we are heavily marginalized but we are silent because our pain can be seen in our silence.
“Marafa’s focus on the 2027 election is premature and distracts from the Tinubu administration’s ongoing efforts to address Nigeria’s challenges. I can authoritatively say that President Tinubu is preoccupied with tackling economic, security, and infrastructural issues across the country, including in the North-West.
“His policies, such as the removal of fuel subsidies and efforts to stabilize the economy, are designed for long-term national benefit, even if they face short-term resistance. Marafa’s threat to mobilize against Tinubu overlooks the President’s commitment to delivering results that will resonate with voters by 2027.
“Senator Kabiru Marafa’s claims may be rooted in personal disappointment rather than a fair assessment of President Tinubu’s leadership. The President has demonstrated a commitment to equitable governance, security improvements, and party unity, although his efforts are majorly undermined by most of his appointees not limited to his inner circle who shield him from his loyal supporters in favour of praise singers.
“While Marafa’s contributions to the APC’s 2023 victory are acknowledged, his vow to deduct one million votes is an overstatement of his individual influence and underestimates Tinubu’s broad support base.
“President Tinubu remains focused on delivering transformative governance for all Nigerians, including the people of Zamfara, and will continue to work toward a united and prosperous Nigeria by 2027 subject to the will of God above numerical deductions.”
