The President Bola Tinubu’s spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, announced his decision to take an indefinite leave of absence on Saturday, citing health concerns within his nuclear family.
However, sources close to the presidency suggest that internal conflicts within the presidency and mounting pressures may have been significant factors in his decision.
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.
His relations with Hakeem Muri-Okunola, the Principal Secretary; Victor Adeleke, the Chief of State Protocol; and even George Akume, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), had notably soured.
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.
Despite these prestigious titles, his unilateral announcement of these positions without consulting the SGF’s office reportedly aggravated tensions within the presidency.
Akume expressed his displeasure to President Bola Tinubu, pointing out Ngelale’s overreach in publicizing political appointments without proper coordination.
This action expanded the circle of those opposed to Ngelale’s methods and was seen by many as a catalyst for his eventual decision to step aside.
Furthermore, his dual role as spokesman and climate envoy was criticized by stakeholders in the environmental sector, who viewed it as a power grab and a breach of established protocols.
Sources reveal that despite the official reason provided for his leave, the primary catalyst was the clear indication that his role in the presidency was becoming untenable.
“Ajuri behaves as if he owns Aso Rock,” a senior insider told TheCable, reflecting the growing dissent against his approach within the administration.
Three days after these sentiments were aired, Ngelale’s departure from his dual roles was confirmed.
Another source revealed, “Ajuri was asked to pick between being presidential spokesman and climate change ambassador. He said he should be allowed to think over it. 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.
He wrongly announced in September 2023 that Tinubu was the first African president to ring the closing bell at Nasdaq.
He also prematurely announced the decision of the government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to lift the visa ban on Nigeria. The government was particularly embarrassed by the media backlash on each occasion.
“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.
“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.
Tinubu, who had been attracted to Ngelale because of his well-delivered CNN interview in May 2023, had also been asking his aides why his spokesman was no longer appearing regularly on TV since that was his major selling point.
Although Ngelale resumed his TV duties, it was apparent by the day that he was already losing out in Aso Rock politics.
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.
It all looked like a done deal until Seyi, whom insiders say plays a major role in appointments made by his father, decided to torpedo it.
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.
Instead, he was appointed minister of solid minerals and Ngelale was named as spokesman.
But that was just the beginning. Ngelale’s mistakes were constantly highlighted as reasons why he needed supervision.
Bayo Onanuga, former MD of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) and an experienced journalist who graduated from the University of Lagos in 1980, was named special adviser on information and strategy to the president in October 2023 to perform that role.
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. It was not to be.
Insiders told the platform that Ngelale refused to work with Onanuga and continued to relate directly with the president, apparently because he had the backing of Gbajabiamila and Seyi Tinubu.
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 persuaded by the president’s son to take the job, unknown to him that he was just a pawn on the chessboard.
The game would ultimately consume him as his backers backed out and he found himself in the middle of nowhere. He was left with no option than to fall on his own sword, having already fallen out with his guardian angels.
