ABUJA, Nigeria — A senior aide to President Bola Tinubu has dismissed as baseless suggestions by former Kaduna State governor Nasir el-Rufai that the president could attempt to extend his stay in power beyond constitutional limits. “President Tinubu is a democrat who does not intend to stay in office beyond May 28, 2031, when re-elected in 2027,” he added. “El-Rufai was unsettled by the grand reception Tinubu received,” Onanuga said, suggesting the event undercut claims that the president had lost his political base in the region. The adviser went further, suggesting that the Kaduna State governor, Uba Sani, may need to intervene. “El-Rufai could benefit from some professional counselling to steer him away from his recent hallucinations and political fabrications on Tinubu and 2027,” he wrote.