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Presidency Denies Viral Reports That Tinubu Plans to Rename Nigeria "United States of Nigeria" and Abolish Sharia Law in the North
Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga dismissed reports that President Tinubu planned to rename Nigeria or abolish Sharia law as a pre‑election fabrication.
The Presidency moved swiftly on Wednesday, May 21, to crush a viral report claiming that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was plotting to rename Nigeria the "United States of Nigeria" and push for constitutional amendments that would abolish Sharia law. The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, called the story a "dubious plot by some desperate politicians to create disaffection in our country, stir up a political crisis, and heat the polity ahead of the general elections."
The fabricated report, which spread rapidly on WhatsApp and X, alleged that a bill code‑named "Project True Federation" was scheduled to reach the National Assembly by December 15, 2026. Onanuga dismissed the entire narrative as "laughable fiction," reminding the public that constitutional amendments require a two‑thirds majority in both chambers of the National Assembly and the concurrence of at least 24 State Houses of Assembly — not the stroke of a presidential pen. "The President has no such plan and cannot single‑handedly rewrite the constitution," he said.
The swift denial reflects the Presidency's growing concern over disinformation in the pre‑election environment. With party primaries under way and the 2027 race heating up, fabricated stories targeting religious and ethnic sensitivities have become a weapon of choice. Onanuga's statement was not merely a rebuttal; it was a warning that the administration intends to push back aggressively against what it sees as deliberate attempts to destabilise the polity. For now, the "United States of Nigeria" story has been debunked — but the machinery of disinformation that produced it is unlikely to go quiet.
Stay tuned to Unuevbo TV for more on the battle against political disinformation and the 2027 election landscape.
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