₦airaland Forum

givedemwotowoto:
If he was positioning himself for 2031 knowing he won't win with Obi, he would've collapsed his base and supported Tinubu

Think about the things you post from your WhatsApp group sometimes before you post.

FSBoperator:
They have not had power supply for 3 months and running in that backward state.

nlfpmod:

This woman was Allegedly sent away by women of the Ohafia community for Sleeping with the husband's brother🙆🏼‍♂️💔 pic.twitter.com/0qSz3BngNz

— Oyindamola🙄 (@dammiedammie35) September 10, 2026

What did they do to the brother-in-law for sleeping with his brother's wife?

sonofthunder:
Yes. **There is credible evidence that Bola Ahmed Tinubu was quoted in 1997 as saying, “I don’t believe in one Nigeria.”** But the statement needs to be understood in the context in which he made it, rather than treated as a standalone declaration that he wanted Nigeria to break up.

### What actually happened?

The statement appeared in a **ThisDay newspaper interview published on April 13, 1997**, when Tinubu was living in exile in London. The interviewer was Ayo Arowolo. Multiple later reports have reproduced or discussed the old publication. ([Nairaland][1])

The timing is extremely important.

This was **after the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election** and during **General Sani Abacha's military dictatorship**. Tinubu was a member of the pro-democracy movement and had gone into exile. He was associated with NADECO, which was campaigning for democracy and restoration of the June 12 mandate.

The surviving excerpts from the interview show that Tinubu was discussing **ethnicity, oppression, the military government and the political structure of Nigeria**. For example, one reproduced excerpt has him saying that if the government had ethnicised the struggle against oppression, he would not deny his ethnic identity, while emphasizing that **the struggle itself was a national issue** and concerned the election of Nigeria's president and his own mandate as a senator. ([Nairaland][2])

So there are actually **two things that can simultaneously be true**:

1. **Tinubu really was quoted as saying “I don't believe in one Nigeria.”**
2. **The broader interview does not establish that he was advocating Biafra-style secession or the physical breakup of Nigeria.**

### What did “I don't believe in one Nigeria” apparently mean?

The most reasonable reading from the available context is that he was expressing **disillusionment with the Nigerian political arrangement under military dictatorship**, rather than saying, *“I want Nigeria divided into separate countries.”*

Remember the circumstances:

* June 12 had been annulled.
* Abacha was ruling by military decree.
* Tinubu was in exile.
* Democratic institutions had been dismantled.
* Political opponents were being persecuted.
* NADECO was demanding restoration of democracy.

Tinubu's political argument at the time was essentially that the Nigeria being operated by the military **was not the Nigeria he believed Nigerians should have**.

That distinction matters.

### Did he later change his position?

**Clearly, yes.**

By 2017, Tinubu was publicly describing himself as **“a firm believer in Nigeria”** and saying he believed Nigeria could become a great nation. This was during his keynote address at the King’s College Old Boys' Association annual dinner. He also argued that Nigeria needed to address the grievances producing separatist agitation rather than ignore them. ([The Guardian Nigeria][3])

That's significant because it demonstrates that his later public position was explicitly pro-Nigeria.

### But here's the important political point

It would be wrong to say:

> **“Tinubu never said he didn't believe in One Nigeria.”**

The evidence says he **did make that statement in 1997**. A fact-check based on the old newspaper publication reached that conclusion. ([Nairaland][1])

But it would also be an exaggeration to say:

> **“Tinubu was a separatist who wanted Nigeria to break up.”**

I haven't found evidence in the material available that establishes that conclusion. In fact, the excerpts from the same interview point toward a struggle for **democratic Nigeria**, rather than a Biafran-style secessionist project. ([Nairaland][2])

### One more important caveat

There is some uncertainty about the **independent verification of the original newspaper page**. Some later publications reproduced the claim but explicitly said they could not independently verify the authenticity of the old publication. ([NN News Media][4])

So my assessment would be:

| Claim | Assessment |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------- |
| Tinubu was reported by ThisDay in 1997 as saying “I don't believe in One Nigeria” | **Yes** |
| It was said during the Abacha/military era | **Yes** |
| He was in exile in London | **Yes** |
| He was involved in the pro-democracy struggle | **Yes** |
| The statement necessarily meant he wanted Nigeria to break up | **No evidence sufficient to conclude that** |
| He later publicly affirmed belief in one Nigeria | **Yes** |
| Therefore, his 1997 and later positions are different | **Yes** |

**Bottom line:** Tinubu did make the controversial 1997 statement, but **the context was his opposition to the military dictatorship and the dysfunctional political Nigeria of that period**. It should not automatically be interpreted as a declaration of support for secession. His later position was explicitly that he believed in one Nigeria and wanted it restructured/reformed rather than dismantled. ([The Guardian Nigeria][3])

If you want, I can also **reconstruct the full 1997 interview from the surviving excerpts and show exactly what Tinubu said before and after the “I don't believe in One Nigeria” line**.

[1]: https://www.nairaland.com/7273478/fact-check-did-tinubu-ever?utm_source=chatgpt.com "FACT CHECK: Did Tinubu Ever Say He Did Not Believe In One Nigeria? - Politics - Nigeria"
[2]: https://www.nairaland.com/6077795/dont-believe-one-nigeria-tinubu/9?utm_source=chatgpt.com "'I Don't Believe In One Nigeria'- Tinubu ThisDay 1997 Headline Shared By Kperogi - Politics (10) - Nigeria"
[3]: https://guardian.ng/politics/tinubu-votes-restructuring-return-to-1963-constitution/?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Tinubu votes restructuring, return to 1963 constitution | The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News"
[4]: https://nnnewsmedia.com/archive-i-dont-believe-in-one-nigeria-says-tinubu/?utm_source=chatgpt.com "ARCHIVE: I don’t believe in one Nigeria – Says Tinubu - NN News Media"

fergie001:
Exclusive Interview with Peter Obi (on AriseTV)

Botragelad:
If you haven’t been caught or eliminated, you need to understand, you’re either not important enough for Israel to bother with, or you’re just another noise maker like the Islamic terrorist supporters on here who don’t have the balls to do nada in reality.

absingle:
“Name one thing that has become CHEAPER under Tinubu.”

jogojogo:
Osunbor the election rigger is your definition of timber and cartapillar? Kwantinuu

Ofunaofu:
That’s apparently the only qualification for being part of Tinubu’s team.....not competence, not integrity.

Omooba77:
“For You To Be Part Of President Tinubu’s Team, It Seems You Either Have To Have The EFCC On Your Neck Or Have Been Convicted Of a Crime.”

- Former Edo Governor And Professor Of Law, Prof. Oserheimen Osunbor.

“For You To Be Part Of President Tinubu’s Team, It Seems You Either Have To Have The EFCC On Your Neck Or Have Been Convicted Of a Crime.”

- Former Edo Governor And Professor Of Law, Prof. Oserheimen Osunbor. pic.twitter.com/PDko6OfIgk

— NG/Lagos Reports (@TrafficChiefNG) August 30, 2026

SeeWahala:
Christians already know it's a joke they are not like Muslims and mama pee is a Christian

Stop fishing for cheap propaganda 🙄

Racoon:
See as he is defending crime with straight face. So, why is the NDLEA arresting people involved in drug crime in Nigeria?

See as these bunch of rogues are still downplaying such a serious matter of international importance for a country of over 240M people? They have long insulted the sensibility & intelligence of the citizens of this country.

Babachir Lawal no wan leave Tinubu neck anytime soon..😜😜 pic.twitter.com/AJxV8SiI13

— Princewill (@Kingprince006) August 24, 2026

Stephen0mozzy:
He'll soon come out again to explain how he didn't mean it like that.

Everyone is being an extremist because there's no hammer of the law to smash their balls into smithereens. 🙂

sucess001:
You think if Atiku has any damning file, Tinubu wouldn't have been pushing for it's release?

aljharem:
I am so disappointed in this man

anonimi:
On what basis is it the turn of the south until 2031

Penguin2:
Obi will win:
1) Kano
2) Plateau
3) Benue
4) Nasarawa
5) FCT.

Similarly, Obi will get 25% in:
1) Taraba
2) Adamawa (Binani factor)
3) Zamfara (Marafa factor)
4) Kogi
5) Kaduna (tentative)
6) Jigawa (Kwankwasiya presence but tentative)

Tell me which one is not realistic.

Predictor3:
He can win Osun...
He may win another. Let's wait until then

ghm:
If I may ask, who is the Igbo in APC that Tinubu would resign for?

Saying Tinubu (APC) should resign and hand over to Obi (NDC) is the peak of the Olodo Uprising we see in Nigeria.

Too many ignorant people. Similar thinking is why some sections of the country have not attained the top seat. Sentiment, blackmail, pity‑partying, intimidation, manipulation, or entitlement will not work. The elite should sit down, study the political structure and processes, and strategise. Until then, the wailing continues.

seunmsg:
lol. The court now disqualify a candidate based on an investigation report? Where did you learn your law from?

To start with, there is nothing new in the report. If there is a crime, FBI would have charged Tinubu to court for a criminal offense. If they couldn’t charge him for a criminal offense in 1993, it simply means there was no crime committed.


FBI has already released most of the records to David Hundeyin in 2023. They redacted it heavily to protect their investigative procedures and protect their witnesses. Nothing has changed from then. This is not about Tinubu but protecting FBI’s system.


The only thing you guys can get from this is propaganda and nothing else. That is why Tinubu is also in court to stop the release so that you won’t use it for propaganda. This matter died a long time ago and you guys are only bringing it up for distraction and propaganda. Nothing else.

Penguin2:
Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C.



Source

jmoore:
Tinubu crew and faking everything.
Fake identity
Fake primary and secondary school
Fake bishops
Fake agencies
Fake refinery that is exporting petrol to UAE.
They have created fake obidient group.

Their intentions are not good for the country. That's why they want to win election by every deceitful means.