Ahead of the 2023 presidential election, the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adejugbe, has revealed that the former Lagos State governor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, would be easier to sell to Nigerians than other aspirants.
The traditional ruler who spoke on Tuesday while playing host to members of the South West Agenda (SWAGA 2023) led by Senator Dayo Adeyeye, who were in the state to launch the group, said the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has paid his dues in the political circle in the country, describing him as a “good person, tested and seasoned administrator.”
Oba Adejugbe while revealing that Tinubu is a nationalist individual, who is generally accepted across the country, advised members of the group to go about the project with a sense of responsibility in a bid to ensure that the Southwest does not miss out in 2023.
He said, “Let me welcome you to my palace and I want to say that the product you have brought here today is a good one that will easier to see to Nigerians. Tinubu is a well-known Yoruba son and respected across the country. He is a tested and seasoned administrator.
“I want to say that we want peace in Yoruba land and you should know that others we want to contest in 2023 but the most important thing I will tell you is that, Yoruba must not miss the opportunity in 2023. Members of the group should endeavor to plan well ahead of this project.”
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Speaking, Adeyeye, a former minister of works and chairman of SWAGA, said Tinubu remained the best and the right man to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023 based on his experience and political networks in the country.
He added that the APC leaders must respect the zoning of presidency to the South in 2023, as a mark of respect for the silent agreement within the party at inception in 2014.
According to him, the former Lagos State governor has contributed in no small measure to the development of the country and Ekiti State, saying, “Tinubu has helped a lot of people in this country, including Ekiti State and if the present government of Dr Kayode Fayemi is sincere and grateful, they will know Tinubu contributed to how they got to the office.”
Adeyeye who launched the group at the event in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital said, “If the ticket comes to the South, the fact that the Southwest had produced the president before won’t prevent the Yoruba race from getting the APC ticket.
“You could all remember that the late President Umaru Yar’Adua was from Katsina State and when the ticket went back to the North in 2015, they picked President Muhammadu Buhari from Katsina, they didn’t say his state has produced president before.
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“What we need in Nigeria is someone like Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who knows everybody. Someone who has planted and nurtured people across all the zones. Someone, who believes in making stars to unite Nigeria.”
Also, a former Senator representing Ekiti South Senatorial District and chairman of the group in the state, Senator Tony Adeniyi, alleged that members of SWAGA in Ekiti were being harassed and intimidated by APC members loyal to Governor Fayemi , saying the embarrassment must stop in the interest of APC.
“Before SWAGA was formed, we had ‘Tokan Tokan’ and original ‘JKF’, which are outfits loyal to Governor Fayemi.
“Is it an offence to associate with one of the foremost Nigerians like Tinubu? We are being treated here in Ekiti like orphans in the Sahara desert. We are being intimated and harassed by people who had contributed nothing to APC.”
On his part, a former senator that represented Oyo South, Senator Adesoji Akanbi commended residents of the state for identifying with the project, noting that everything possible would be done to ensure the success of Tinubu in 2023.
