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From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
Hon. Agbi Steven Omobamidele, former Special Assistant on Mobilisation to Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has been on a steady political rise, having served as one of the pioneer founders of Tinubu/Shettima Movement during the 2023 general election.
Speaking to Daily Sun in Abuja recently, Omobamidele, the director-general, Consolidated APC Grassroots Movement (CAGram), an umbrella body of all support groups for APC, appraised the chances of President Bola Tinubu in the forthcoming 2027 presidential election and concluded that Nigerians will not only beg him to re-contest but millions of Nigerian youths on the street will help him to win without rigging.
What are your fears for the 2027 presidential election as far as Tinubu is concerned?
I don’t have any fear for the 2027 presidential election as far as President Tinubu is concerned because our previous election was probably one of the toughest in the history of such elections.
Asiwaju coming into power was a miraculous work of Almighty God and his political strategies as a person. His positive lifestyle is top-notch, and now that he is enjoying the power of incumbency, it is going to be a lot easier. Don’t believe all you are hearing or seeing on social media.
When it comes to real politicking, leave it to the master strategist. In my capacity, as one of the pioneer founders of Tinubu/Shettima Movement during the 2023 general election, we are going to do more. We are grassrooters. We are the tools within the grassroots. We know where to go, we know how to go about the election to make sure that our President keeps that seat and keeps the fire burning for our great country.
Are you writing off the forces from Obi and Atiku?
There is no force from them. The Obi force is dead on arrival as we speak because Obi himself does not even know where he currently belongs. There is no politics without a party. It is the party that drives you to where you are going. So, an aspirant who has no platform is going nowhere.
Yes, he may be popular on social media, I probably hold him at high esteem as the president on social media, which is okay, and we are not dragging that with him. But when it comes to grassroots politics, he should allow the political Messiah to have his way, which is possible 100 percent.
What about Atiku?
He is another person who has also lost his popularity. He used the PDP as a tool, but immediately he lost the PDP, the tool that he had been working with; he equally lost it as a leader. A leader who cannot hold his house firm is not good. A leader who is only concerned about his self-interest is not good.
I can tell you that those people hanging around Atiku are just there after his money, which is also good. In fact, the kind of election you are going to have now is the election of a supreme kangaroo. It is going to be the easiest victory for Tinubu because these people are jokers. They are not serious people. The system and structure that Asiwaju has built over the years will stay relevant at least for certain years, even after this election.
As someone involved in the Tinubu/Shettima campaign, are you aware that there is a crack between them?
There is no crack; there is no crack at all. That is why I say that we should not allow social media to deceive us. When it is time for the poll, we will know that they are united.
There are so many negative words on social media that are not real. Tinubu, our President, and Shettima are on a good table, and if anything happens otherwise, I can tell you that Shettima will also be carried along.
Are you staking your neck that Shettima will still be Tinubu’s running mate?
Whether he remains the running mate or not, that structure built together cannot be destroyed. Shettima is for the party, he is for Tinubu, and he is for Nigeria. Nothing is changing.
You said you don’t have any fear about Tinubu’s re-election, but what about the threats of the northern forces against him?
Let me tell you something about the Northern Forces. There is no doubt that during the former president Muhammadu Buhari, there were forces against him, but after, you need to see the mindset of the northerners. People think that Tinubu will move against the Buhari force once he is elected. But they have seen how he stood firmly with Buhari even after his death. That shows leadership. I can tell you that the majority of the northerners are for Tinubu. This is because they have seen that authentic leadership style in Baba Tinubu.
Do you think that Nigerians suffering will vote for Tinubu?
As for suffering, I don’t think there is a year that Nigerians have enjoyed since I was born. Nigerians have always been perpetually suffering, just as there has been corruption. One of the tools fuelling corruption is the petroleum subsidy, which took a courageous leader to remove. If it were another person who removed the subsidy, it would have resulted in riot and even war. It takes a leader with a courageous mindset to do that.
Another thing we do wrong is focusing all our attention on a single leader, the President. There is no functional organisation that runs positively only with the MD or the CEO. Where is an organogram? What are the state governments doing?
Why are we not even looking at what the governors who are in charge of the state resources are doing with them? Are we also looking at our Senate, local government chairmen? Is it that they are short paid since the removal of the subsidy? Where are these funds going? We need to start asking questions.
Baba Tinubu cannot grade the local government roads in our areas. That is why he is pushing funding directly to all those people so that they can do it. If we talk about the Federal Government projects, they are all available at a single click on Google. The coastal road, other ongoing projects within the northern and southern areas are all there. For us to have a better Nigeria, we must stand up, suffer it, and make sure that it works.
What do you tell Nigerians uncomfortable with this administration?
They should be patient. We have suffered long for common things we should be benefiting in this country. In a country where few persons, less than 500,000, are embezzling the funds of that state, it will take the grace of God for such a country to progress.
If not because God blessed this country with mineral resources, we would have been in a total mess by now. But miracles will not continue to happen. We cannot solve what is physical with spiritual, just as we cannot solve spiritual with what is physical. I don’t believe in miracles when it comes to politics; I believe in capacity and what can be done.
This administration is just two years old, and by the time we have good roads and a constant electricity supply, I can assure you that Nigerians will beg Tinubu to re-contest in the 2027 presidential election. Good enough that the President we have is the type that sees beyond the ordinary.
Are you saying that Tinubu will win the 2027 presidential election without rigging it?
What is rigging? Can anyone rig an election without anybody raising a voice? You should have told me that Tinubu would stay in his room and start writing the results. What is rigging? Do you know the impact and the number of boys President Tinubu has on the streets? They are capable boys. Are you telling me that Atiku has the kind of forces that Asiwaju has? No, no, no, no… Or that they know politics more than Tinubu? No, no… Atiku, as a Customs officer, can only be more knowledgeable in affairs than Asiwaju in that field, but not in politics. People like Atiku and Obi just want to be relevant, maybe after Tinubu finishes his second tenure. It is also allowed in a democracy. As for 2027, it is already a done deal. Baba will win them. I can tell you that the kind of vote Baba we get this time is not the kind we saw the last time. The margin will be much more because people, like me, are more than one million outside there in every part of Nigeria, and we are going to deliver the votes to Baba Tinubu. I want to congratulate him in advance and tell Nigerians to be patient. A better Nigeria with President Tinubu is possible.
Has your governor, Aiyedatiwa, done well by your own assessment?
He has done perfectly very well. We live in a country where social media give more negative information than real one, but if you can look beyond the fake news you can identify the positive one he has done too.
As a party man, what is your impression about the two elections coming up in the South- West of Ekiti and Osun states regarding the victory of APC?
Both elections will all end in victory for my party, the APC. And regardless of the power of incumbency in Osun, I can reassure you that both will end in victory for my party. If the incumbent governor of Osun decides to join the APC, it will still be a victory for our party.
