Presidential Aide Refutes Senator Ndume’s Claims of President Tinubu’s Isolation from National Realities

Temitope Ajayi, Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Publicity, has dismissed allegations made by Senate Chief Whip Ali Ndume that President Tinubu is unaware of the hardships faced by Nigerians.

Senator Ndume, representing Borno South and a member of the All Progressives Congress, claimed on Wednesday at the National Assembly complex in Abuja that the President is “not in the picture of what is happening outside the Villa.” He further suggested that Tinubu had been “fenced off and caged,” and criticized the Federal Government for its handling of the food scarcity crisis, urging for urgent action to address the rising hunger across the nation.

In a rebuttal on Friday via his X handle, Ajayi labeled Ndume’s statements as “baseless and unfounded.” He emphasized that President Tinubu is acutely aware of the nation’s challenges and is actively working to resolve them.

Ajayi wrote, “He made baseless and unfounded allegations against the President that he is cut off from the reality of Nigerians. This President is well aware and fully abreast of the current material conditions of Nigerians and he is working very hard to deal with the challenges.”

Ajayi defended Tinubu’s engagement with the public, highlighting that the President receives daily briefings from his team and meets with a diverse range of Nigerians, including business leaders, religious figures, socio-cultural groups, and professional organizations. He concluded, “A President who gets daily briefings from his team, and receives a cross-section of Nigerians from all strata of the society almost every day… can’t be falsely accused of being removed from the realities of the people.”