ABUJA, Nigeria — The Nigerian presidency has vehemently denied viral social media reports claiming that President Bola Tinubu is plotting a radical constitutional overhaul to rename the country the “United States of Nigeria” and abolish Sharia law in the northern region.
In a strongly worded statement released on Thursday, 21 May 2026, the administration branded the widely circulated story as a fabricated piece of political sabotage. Officials warned that the narrative is a calculated attempt by “desperate politicians” to incite religious and regional friction across the country as political factions gear up for the upcoming general elections.
The presidency urged the public to completely disregard the report, labeling its anonymous authors as agents of destabilisation intent on heating up the nation’s political landscape.
No ‘Project True Federation’ Bill
The statehouse response was specifically triggered by online reports claiming that the executive was preparing to sneak a sweeping constitutional bill, code-named “Project True Federation,” into the National Assembly by mid-December.
Dismissing the timeline as a fictional construct, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, noted that the administration has no such plans. He reminded the public that under Nigerian jurisprudence, altering the foundational legal framework of the republic is a rigorous statutory process rather than an executive decree.
“Under our laws, constitutional changes and amendments are serious business that require legislative scrutiny, oversight and serious debate,” Mr. Onanuga stated from Abuja. “The process of amending the constitution is not at the President’s or the National Assembly’s whim. It is a task that requires a two-thirds majority in both chambers of the National Assembly and the concurrence of 24 State Houses of Assembly.”
A Warning to Voters Ahead of Campaigns
The presidency linked the sudden surge in explosive, identity-driven fake news to the imminent kickoff of national political campaigns. With voters scheduled to head to the polls for the general elections, communication strategists expect an influx of divisive, unverified digital propaganda aimed at manipulating ethnic and religious sentiments.
The statement noted:
- The Target: The viral report explicitly targeted highly sensitive socio-legal structures in the Muslim-majority north by claiming Sharia law would be expunged.
- The Counter-Narrative: The presidency clarified that President Tinubu remains entirely consumed by the arduous task of stabilizing his administration’s far-reaching macro-economic reforms.
- The Guidance: Citizens were urged to exercise extreme caution and audit their media consumption habits, as institutional safeguards are expected to face severe pressure from automated disinformation rings over the coming months.
By moving swiftly to dismantle the renaming and anti-Sharia rumors, the statehouse is attempting to establish a baseline of transparency, insisting that the administration will not allow predatory information warfare to derail its economic agenda or fracture national unity on the eve of a pivotal democratic transition.
Add Comment