I Was Betrayed by Friends During 2023 Elections — Remi Tinubu
Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has revealed that she battled feelings of fear, doubt, and loneliness following her husband’s victory in the 2023 general election, questioning her readiness for the demanding role of First Lady.
In her 52-page memoir, The Journey of Grace: Giving Thanks in All Things, released to commemorate her 65th birthday and obtained by Saturday PUNCH, Mrs. Tinubu recounted the emotional toll she experienced in the months surrounding the election.
The five-chapter memoir, covering the years 2021 to 2025 with a foreword by Dr. Folashade Olukoya of the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries, chronicles her personal and spiritual journey.
Reflecting on that period, Mrs. Tinubu said she felt unprepared to serve a nation of over 240 million people with diverse backgrounds and cultures.
“I had mixed feelings, questioning my readiness and capability to function effectively and optimally as the First Lady of such a great nation. For days, I isolated myself, wondering whether I could play the supportive and complementary role without making mistakes,” she wrote.
The First Lady disclosed that, in the days between the election and the May 29, 2023 inauguration, she often broke down in tears, feeling betrayed by political allies and friends she once trusted.
“After the elections, before the inaugural day, healing of hearts began. Despite the victory, I felt alone, weeping behind closed doors and wondering why I was betrayed by people I considered friends and spiritual family—many of whom I had welcomed into my home,” she said.
While some turned away, others, she added, became sources of comfort and spiritual reassurance.
Mrs. Tinubu admitted that she occasionally held what she described as “pity parties,” struggling to find emotional strength until she was reminded of God’s promises for her life.
“At some point, I let the voices of naysayers cloud my reasoning until I was reminded of all that God had spoken over my life,” she noted.
Her reflections come nearly three years after the 2023 elections, one of Nigeria’s most contentious polls, in which President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress won with 8.79 million votes, defeating Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party and Peter Obi of the Labour Party.
The outcome, though upheld by both the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal and the Supreme Court, faced stiff opposition from several quarters.
According to the First Lady, even some of her husband’s close allies were absent when he decided to contest the presidency. Yet, her faith, she said, restored her strength and focus.
“It was time to move forward—to plan programmes that would benefit Nigerians, prepare for the inauguration, and heal in body, soul, and spirit,” she recounted.
As her husband concentrated on forming his cabinet, Mrs. Tinubu said she began to conceptualise her own initiative, eventually birthing the Renewed Hope Initiative, aligned with the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
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The programme, she explained, targets five key areas: Agriculture, Economic Empowerment, Education, Health, and Social Investment.
She also revealed her meticulous preparation for the inauguration, from selecting her husband’s outfit to settling on a traditional royal fabric, Alari or Etu, for her own attire after several unsatisfactory trials.
“A good friend provided the exact fabric I desired just a week before the Big Day. My dressmaker worked swiftly, and within days, I had my outfit ready,” she recalled.
Mrs. Tinubu further acknowledged the emotional strain caused by her husband’s controversial Muslim-Muslim ticket, which drew criticism from Christian groups such as the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN).
The backlash, she said, left her feeling isolated even within her local church community.
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