Tinubu’s Spokesman: ‘Ajuri Behaves As If He Owns Aso Rock’

He came back to pick presidential spokesman but he was told that he would need supervision as it was obvious he needed help.” The “help” he needed had been constantly highlighted to the president, some of which included mistakes in his press statements.

Ngelale’s tenure as the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, which began in July 2023 following his appointment engineered by Femi Gbajabiamila, the Chief of Staff, and Seyi Tinubu, the President’s son, has been marred by disagreements with key presidential officials.

Many commentators believed Tinubu had too many senior figures in his communications team that amounted to duplication of roles, but it was also thought that Onanuga’s appointment would unify the team and streamline the flow of communication from the presidency.

Working with Gbajabiamila who was still a strong chief of staff before the appointment of Muri-Okunola — Seyi played up Ngelale’s credentials to checkmate Alake, whose office would have been at the presidential villa if he had been made presidential spokesman.

The irony, though, is that Ngelale initially refused to accept his appointment as presidential spokesman, insisting he wanted to pursue a different path outside of government having been part of the communications team of President Muhammadu Buhari for four years.

“He was running a one-man show and played members of the team against each other, dealing only with the people he brought into the team,”the insider told TheCable.

In May 2024, Ngelale was appointed as the Special Presidential Envoy on Climate Action, a role that also included chairing the Presidential Steering Committee on Project Evergreen and acting as Secretary of the Presidential Committee on Climate Action and Green Economic Solutions.

“Some of his press statements were simply childish,”the insider said, pointing to when Ngelale posted on social media that he had broken the State House record for most statements issued in a single day.

That was on July 13, 2024.“I mean, what was that?” Ngelale, 37, was also accused of not being a leader as he hardly gave any directions to his team members or held meetings with them.

Dele Alake, commissioner of information and strategy in Lagos state from 1999-2007 when Tinubu was governor, had been positioned to be the special adviser on media, strategy and special duties to the president..

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