—Who. President Bola Tinubu, presidential media aide O’tega Ogra, and opposition figure Dino Melaye of the African Democratic Congress.
—What. Melaye posted video of youths stoning a convoy believed to be Tinubu’s; Ogra calls such videos misleading.
—Where. Abuja, after Friday prayers on 13 November 2026.
—Not known. Whether any vehicle was hit, and whether the clip shows the president’s convoy.
A presidential aide has rejected an opposition video said to show youths stoning President Bola Tinubu’s convoy in Abuja on Friday 13 November 2026. Neither side’s footage settles what happened, and The Rio Times has found no police statement.
What Each Side Says
Dino Melaye, a senior figure in the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC), shared a video that shows young men throwing stones at a convoy believed to be Tinubu’s. Voices in the clip chant “Ba ma yi, ba ma so”, Hausa for “we don’t want you, we don’t support you”.
O’tega Ogra, the president’s Senior Special Assistant on Digital Engagement, Strategy and New Media, rejected that account in a post on X, the social media platform, on Friday 13 November, calling the videos misleading and referring to “their alleged paid thugs at the National Mosque”. He then posted his own clip of Tinubu leaving the mosque in a white outfit and black cap, waving to cheering supporters.
File photo. The National Mosque in Abuja, the building named in Ogra’s post. Reports place the president’s prayers at the Shehu Shagari Central Mosque in Area 1, a district of Abuja. Photo: Mark Fischer / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0).What Witnesses Describe
An unnamed worshipper told a Nigerian newspaper that Tinubu arrived at about 1:49 p.m. and that security staff then blocked roads and kept latecomers out. Another source in the same report said people were stopped from entering once the president was inside and that several were left outside.
The President’s Statement on Violence
On Friday, Tinubu signed a statement warning politicians and supporters against violence and thuggery, according to Nigerian press reports. The reports say it empowered security agencies to act against political thuggery.
Why It Matters
The National Peace Committee, chaired by former head of state Abdulsalami Abubakar, monitors a pledge against violence signed by parties on 18 August. It logged 109 breaches in 26 states and Abuja from 19 August to 27 October, according to reports of 11 and 12 November.
Presidential campaigning has run since 19 August. The revised timetable of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) puts the presidential vote on Saturday 16 January 2027 and governorship polls on Saturday 6 February 2027.
Our report on monitors’ counts of election violence sets out the wider picture, and the attack on Atiku Abubakar’s convoy in Kebbi is an earlier case. More is on our Nigeria news page.
What Is Not Known
Neither video has been independently verified. We do not know whether any vehicle was hit, where and when Melaye’s clip was filmed, or whether the convoy in it was the president’s.
Frequently Asked Questions
Was President Tinubu’s convoy attacked in Abuja?
The opposition’s Dino Melaye shared a video of youths throwing stones at a convoy believed to be Tinubu’s, and presidential aide O’tega Ogra calls the videos misleading. Neither claim has been independently verified.
Who are O’tega Ogra and Dino Melaye?
Ogra is the president’s Senior Special Assistant on Digital Engagement, Strategy and New Media. Melaye is a senior figure in the opposition African Democratic Congress.
Where did Tinubu pray on Friday?
Reports place the prayers at the Shehu Shagari Central Mosque in Area 1, a district of Abuja. Ogra’s post refers to the National Mosque.
When is Nigeria’s presidential election?
On Saturday 16 January 2027, under the revised timetable of the Independent National Electoral Commission. Governorship elections follow on Saturday 6 February 2027.
Sources: Posts on X by O’tega Ogra and Dino Melaye, 13 November 2026 (described in Nigerian press reports of 13 and 14 November); statement signed by President Tinubu, 13 November 2026; National Peace Committee monitoring report, as reported on 11 and 12 November 2026; Independent National Electoral Commission revised election timetable, February 2026 (inecnigeria.org).
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