Tinubu Denies Plan to Rename Nigeria, Scrap Sharia Law

The Presidency has dismissed as false and mischievous a viral report alleging that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is planning constitutional amendments to rename Nigeria as the “United States of Nigeria” and abolish Sharia Law in the North.

In a statement issued on Thursday by presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, the Presidency described the report as fake news designed to create political tension and destabilise the country ahead of the 2027 general elections.

According to the statement, there is no plan by President Tinubu to sponsor any bill, allegedly code-named “Project True Federation,” before the National Assembly by December 15, as claimed in the viral report.

The Presidency said the story, which relied on unnamed sources, was the handiwork of “desperate politicians” seeking to stir disaffection, trigger political crisis and overheat the polity as political campaigns approach.

It urged Nigerians to disregard the report entirely, warning that fake and divisive stories would likely increase as the nation moves closer to the January 2027 general elections.

The statement further stressed that constitutional amendments are serious legislative matters that cannot be carried out arbitrarily by the President or the National Assembly alone.

It explained that any constitutional amendment in Nigeria requires extensive legislative scrutiny, public debate, a two-thirds majority approval in both chambers of the National Assembly, as well as concurrence from at least 24 State Houses of Assembly.

The Presidency maintained that President Tinubu remains focused on implementing his administration’s economic reforms and delivering tangible benefits to Nigerians rather than engaging in divisive political distractions.

“Nigerians should be wary of consuming fake and divisive reports,” the statement added, describing those behind the viral claims as “agents of destabilisation and merchants of disorder.”