Tinubu’s aide dismisses reports of attack on presidential convoy in Abuja

Presidential aide, O’tega Ogra, has rejected reports that President Bola Tinubu’s convoy came under attack by youths following his attendance at Friday prayers at the Shagari Central Mosque in Area 1, Abuja.

Ogra, the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Digital Engagement, Strategy and New Media, challenged the account, describing videos circulating online as misleading.

The controversy followed a video shared by a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, Dino Melaye, showing some youths throwing stones at a convoy believed to belong to the President.

Some of the youths were also heard chanting “Ba ma yi, ba ma so”, a Hausa expression translated as “we don’t want you; we don’t support you.”

Responding to the claim in a post on his X handle on Friday, Ogra released another video showing Tinubu leaving the mosque after observing the Juma’at prayer.

“Contrary to the narrative being pushed by the opposition, with videos of their alleged paid thugs at the National Mosque today, here is footage of Mr President leaving the mosque after Friday prayers this afternoon,” Ogra wrote.

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The footage showed the President, dressed in a white outfit and black cap bearing his traditional insignia, acknowledging supporters who waved and took photographs of him as he approached his official vehicle.

The conflicting accounts have sparked reactions on social media, with the Presidency disputing the suggestion that the President was targeted during the mosque visit.

The incident comes amid growing concerns over political violence as preparations gradually gather momentum for the 2027 general elections.

In a statement personally signed on Friday, Tinubu cautioned politicians and their supporters against resorting to violence, warning that security agencies had been empowered to deal decisively with thuggery and other anti-democratic activities.

The President condemned reported incidents of violence at political gatherings across the country, urging political actors to conduct their activities peacefully.

He maintained that political campaigns should be centred on issues capable of improving the welfare of Nigerians and advancing national development, stressing that violence had no place in the democratic process.