Tinubu Says He Will Not Be Scared Out of Office

President Bola Tinubu said Thursday he will not be driven from office by opposition parties in the 2027 election, declaring that efforts to intimidate him will fail.

“They want to scare me off; it is a lie,” Tinubu told a meeting of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors led by Governor Hope Uzodimma in the capital.

“I’ve been through this path before, and if I have to come back over and over and over again, I’ll do the same thing.”

Tinubu urged Nigerians to take ownership of the country’s development.

“There is no better place than your own country, and no one can build it except you,” he said.

“We saw great things because we see skyscrapers. We wonder how the plane takes off and flies from one destination to the other. These are no magic of yesterday.”

He added, “It is the thinker of tomorrow and the future that can elevate life, that can reform us all. As a transformative leader, you are in good company. Don’t be afraid.”

“We will not submit to noise, rascality, or disobedience to lawful court orders. We must uphold democracy, respect the judiciary whether it favours us or not, and remain faithful to the principles that hold our nation together.

There is no path to national greatness except the… pic.twitter.com/wfcx8FdrVe

— Bola Ahmed Tinubu (@officialABAT) April 16, 2026

Tinubu Says He Will Not Be Scared Out of Office — President Bola Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar. Credit: Naija News.

Without naming names, Tinubu appeared to target former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who recently led a coalition of opposition figures into the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

Abubakar chaired the National Privatisation Council during his tenure as vice president from 1999 to 2007 and is considered a leading contender for the presidency in 2027.

The president specifically questioned the outcome of past privatisation efforts involving the steel industry in Delta State and the Ajaokuta Steel Company in Kogi State.

“One of them, no one without history and I’m not being calabash. No one without history. The head was the chairman of the Privatisation Council of Nigeria,” Tinubu said.

Under the #RenewedHope administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, we have witnessed an ailing economy transformed into a more robust and resilient one, creating opportunities for growth and prosperity that were previously absent.

These positive shifts are increasingly… pic.twitter.com/DDcPA37IzX

— Hope Uzodimma (@Hope_Uzodimma1) April 16, 2026

“In this country one time, he privatised the Steel industry in Delta. Is it working today? He privatised Ajaokuta, is it working today? Go on the list. They privatised another man’s political party, that one say No.”

No one among the coalition leaders is without history, the head (Atiku) was the chairman of the privatization council of Nigeria at one time. They privatized the steel industry in Delta, is it working today? They privatized Ajaokuta, is it working today? They privatized another… pic.twitter.com/wEcXeuO9HQ

— Nigeria Stories (@NigeriaStories) April 16, 2026

Tinubu assured supporters that he would not relinquish power to the opposition in 2027 and urged members of his Renewed Hope Agenda to intensify grassroots mobilisation.

“One thing that you need from me is a promise that I won’t run away from the affairs. With you, the deal is done,” he said.

“Whatever we need to do, coordinate from the ward level and build on our understanding. You’re in a good company and all I can say is that I won’t give up.”

The president acknowledged the difficulties he faced in securing his party’s nomination and winning the general election.

“During the primaries that brought me here, it was tough. During the general election, it was tough,” he said.

Author

Jimisayo Opanuga

Jimisayo Opanuga is a web writer in the Digital Department at News Central TV, where she covers African and international stories. Her reporting focuses on social issues, health, justice, and the environment, alongside general-interest news. She is passionate about telling stories that inform the public and give voice to underreported communities.