The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, has said the president’s recent engagements in Kaduna reflect his role as a leader for all Nigerians, not just members of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Dare spoke on Sunday following Tinubu’s trip to Kaduna on Friday, where the president attended the wedding of Nasirudeen, son of former Zamfara State governor and serving senator, Abdul’aziz Yari. The ceremony drew a cross-section of Nigeria’s political establishment, including Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, former Senate President Bukola Saraki, former House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Tambuwal, Katsina State Governor Dikko Radda, Kebbi State Governor Nasir Idris, and Sokoto State Governor Aliyu Sokoto.
Tinubu also visited the family of late former president Muhammadu Buhari, where he paid condolences to Buhari’s widow, Aisha, at their Kaduna residence.
Dare described the trip as politically significant, saying it dispelled what he called long-standing narratives about hostility towards Tinubu in the north.
“It was into this charged political environment, months after opponents had fanned narratives of hostility to him, that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu chose to walk boldly,” he said. “Whispers of ‘a no-go area’ hung in the air: the opposition had spread a conspiratorial message that the north ‘hated’ Tinubu, and the APC support base would abandon him in future elections. But the President, true to his character, came unafraid — carrying with him the fruits of loyalty to old friendships and the evidence of sound policies beginning to touch lives.”
According to Dare, the president’s movements across Kaduna — from a wedding ceremony to a condolence visit — demonstrated both cultural respect and personal empathy.
“In both joy and sorrow, he stood with the people, embodying the compassion and humility expected of true statesmanship,” he said.
The aide highlighted Tinubu’s encounter with former Jigawa State governor Sule Lamido, a long-time critic, as symbolic.
“When Lamido approached, President Tinubu did not recoil, nor offer a cold shoulder. Instead, he welcomed him with an expansive smile and hearty laughter. Their exchange was brief, warm, and telling,” Dare said. “It was a masterclass in citizen diplomacy, showing that politics can be practised without bitterness.”
He noted that Lamido once served as National Secretary in the Social Democratic Party (SDP) during Tinubu’s years in that platform, describing their meeting as “a powerful signal that leadership is not about grudges but about building bridges.”
Dare added that the visit was a reminder that Tinubu’s presidency transcends party loyalty.
“The politicians present, hardened veterans of the northern firmament, saw a president secure in his mandate and magnanimous in his dealings.
It was a subtle but strong reminder: Tinubu is president for all Nigerians, not just for his supporters,” he said.
