President Bola Tinubu has dismissed as false and misleading report alleging that he has plans to amend the constitution to rename Nigeria the “United States of Nigeria” and abolish Sharia law in the Northern region.
In a statement issued by his spokesman, Chief Bayo Onanuga on Thursday, Tinubu described the report as fake news fabricated by “desperate politicians” seeking to create tension and destabilise the country ahead of the 2026 general elections.
According to his spokesman, the report which quoted anonymous sources, was completely baseless and should be disregarded by Nigerians.
“The Presidency wishes to inform Nigerians and state clearly that there is no truth to the viral fake story claiming that President Bola Tinubu seeks to carry out constitutional amendments that will change Nigeria’s name to the United States of Nigeria and abolish Sharia Law in the Northern region, among other claims,” the statement read.
He said those spreading the story were “agents of destabilisation and merchants of disorder” bent on creating political disaffection and heating up the polity before the elections.
He went further to deny claims that the President intended to forward a bill allegedly code-named “Project True Federation” to the National Assembly before the polls.
“President Tinubu has no plan whatsoever to send any bill code-named Project True Federation to the National Assembly by December 15, a few weeks before the general election,” he said.
Onanuga noted that constitutional amendments in Nigeria follow a rigorous legal process and cannot be carried out arbitrarily by either the President or the National Assembly.
He explained that any amendment to the constitution requires the support of two-thirds of members in both chambers of the National Assembly, as well as approval by at least 24 State Houses of Assembly.
He said Tinubu remains focused on implementing economic reforms and delivering democratic dividends to Nigerians rather than engaging in divisive constitutional debates.
“President Tinubu is focused on the arduous task of entrenching and deepening the economic reforms his administration has embarked upon. He is focused on delivering more tangible dividends to Nigerians,” the statement added.
The statement further urged Nigerians to be cautious of fake and divisive reports, warning that misinformation and politically motivated propaganda were likely to intensify as campaigns for the 2026 elections gather momentum.
