CITIZENS COMPASS— The Presidency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on Thursday, dismissed a viral report that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was planning to amend the constitution to rename Nigeria.
Presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed this in a statement.
This followed the report which claimed that the new name of Nigeria would be the “United States of Nigeria”.
The report also alleged that the amended Constitution would abolish Sharia Law in the Northern part of Nigeria.
According to Onanuga, the report was a fabrication built on anonymous sources and pushed by persons desperate to overheat the polity.
He said those behind the story are agents of destabilisation seeking to stir public disaffection, provoke religious and regional suspicion, and create needless panic among Nigerians.
Onanuga urged citizens to disregard the report entirely, insisting that President Tinubu has no plan to rename the country or abolish Sharia Law in any part of Nigeria.
He also denied claims that the President intends to transmit a bill allegedly code-named “Project True Federation” to the National Assembly by December 15.
The presidential aide said the claim betrayed ignorance of Nigeria’s constitutional amendment process, which cannot be carried out by presidential fiat or through secret political arrangement.
He explained that any amendment to the Constitution must pass through a rigorous legislative process involving debate and approval by at least two-thirds of members of both chambers of the National Assembly.
Such amendment, he added, must also be endorsed by no fewer than 24 State Houses of Assembly before it can become law.
Onanuga said President Tinubu remains focused on consolidating the economic reforms of his administration and delivering practical benefits to Nigerians.
He cautioned the public against falling for divisive reports, warning that fake news and politically sponsored falsehoods may increase as the country moves closer to the January 2027 general election.
The Presidency said Nigerians should be vigilant and reject attempts by desperate politicians to weaponise religion, ethnicity and misinformation for electoral advantage.
