There’s a struggle among President Bola Tinubu’s close aides over who replaces Chief Ajuri Ngelele as the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity following the latter’s commencement of an indefinite leave on Friday.
Ngelale announced in a statement posted on his Facebook page on Saturday that he was stepping aside from his position due to health matters involving his family, and had embarked on indefinite leave of absence.
He said he submitted his letter to the Chief of Staff to the president, Femi Gbajabiamila, on Friday.
His exit has opened the door for some of Tinubu’s close media aides.
Sources close to the president revealed to NewsNGR that Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy is hoping to take over Ngelele’s job since he had worked with the presidential spokesman.
But Onanuga is facing a tough battle for the position from two of Tinubu’s closest media aides- Sunday Dare and Tunde Rahman.
Dare, the immediate past Minister of Youths and Sports, was Tinubu’s personal chief of staff before he was appointed minister by former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Incidentally, he worked as editor of The News Magazine when Onanuga was the editor-in-chief before he left the country to the United States where he later worked with Voice of America.
Rahman on the other hand has a rich media experience which saw him work as editor in Punch and ThisDay newspapers before Tinubu appointed him as his personal chief press secretary — a role he performs till date.
“The three are in contention for the job, they’re all pulling strings at the villa to get the job,” said the source, without mentioning who is favourite.
But according to the source, Gbajabiamila is the man that holds the ace. “It’s whoever he picks that gets the job, he may even pick outside of them.”
NewsNGR recalls how Ngelale once clashed with Onanuga over a press statement issued by the latter without authorisation. On May 28, Onanuga released a statement announcing that President Tinubu would address a joint session of the National Assembly to commemorate his first anniversary in office and 25 years of Nigeria’s democratic journey.
However, barely hours later, Ngelale issued a contradictory statement dismissing Onanuga’s release as “false and unauthorized.”
Ngelale clarified that President Tinubu would instead embark on the inauguration of strategic projects across the country to mark his first year in office and further his commitment to good governance.
“In view of public commentary concerning the President delivering a speech before a Joint Sitting of the National Assembly tomorrow, May 29, 2024, it is important to state that this information is false and unauthorized as the Office of the President was not involved in the planning of the event,” Ngelale affirmed.
It was not the first time both presidential media advisers would issue separate statements in the name of the State House on the same matter, thereby calling to question the proper channels of communication and authorisation of official statements from the presidency.