Alhaji Fatai Ibikunle, Executive Director Commercial and Environmental Development, South-West Development Commission (SWDC), has expressed  confidence in President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.

Ibikunle in an interview with newsmen, on Tuesday in Ibadan, described the president  as a master political strategist whose popularity had  continued  to soar across the country.

He dismissed claims of political unrest in the North as mere outcries from individuals whose personal expectations were unmet.

“The real northerners who determine election outcomes are not among those expressing grievances.

“Those making agitating are only doing so because they didn’t get what they expected,” he said.

Ibikunle further dismissed the political relevance of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and ex-Kaduna governor, Nasir El-Rufai in the current political landscape.

“Atiku is no threat to President Tinubu. He has defected several times and failed in his presidential ambitions.

“As for El-Rufai, he’s more of a technocrat than a politician and holding a former governorship position doesn’t necessarily make one a political heavyweight.”

Ibikunle said that President Tinubu was firmly in control and deeply strategic in his leadership style.

“When he assigns a political task, four other people you don’t know are working with you, observing and reporting. That’s how deep his political playbook runs,” he said.

The executive director said that President Tinubu’s political base has expanded since assuming office.

“Before he became president, the South-West was 70-30 politically. Now, he controls the entire region,” he said.

Ibikunle allayed fears of possible imposition of one-party system in Nigeria, saying the president won’t impose such as a democrat.

“President Tinubu is a democrat who will never impose a one-party system, but the majority naturally supports him.

“Tinubu is God-ordained and came fully prepared for leadership,” Ibikunle said.(NAN)

Mr Sam Onuigbo,  former House of Representatives member for Ikwuano/Umuahia South/North, says President Bola Tinubu remains  an indisputable beacon of Nigeria’s democracy.

Onuigbo said  this in an interview in Abuja on Tuesday,  ahead of  Nigeria’s   commemoration of Democracy Day, slated for June 12.

He saluted President Tinubu’s bold and patriotic sacrifices during the days of National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), in the fight for democratic governance.

“Tinubu is an indisputable beacon of democracy. He joined NADECO in  making sacrifices for Nigeria to restore democracy.

“In 1999, he was elected governor of Lagos  State and he brought hope and transformation through democratic leadership and positioned the state as a mega city in the whole world,” he said.

The ex-rep, who is also member,  representing South East in  the North East Development Commission (NEDC), lauded Tinubu for sustaining Nigeria’s democracy.

According him, Tinubu sustained efforts in building blocks to build democratic platforms that benefitted other states of the nation.

Onuigbo said that Tinubu’s role in entrenching democratic tenets remained unequaled.

He commended Tinubu for working tirelessly to  enthrone  successive democratic governments not just at the state levels but at the Federal level.

“This is a man who worked for the emergence of President Muhammadu Buhari and some state governors and patiently waited till 2023 to ascend the presidency.”

Onuigbo, therefore,  urged the southeast in particular, and Nigerians at large to ensure continuity by re-electing Tinubu , come 2027.

He expressed satisfaction with Tinubu’s economic reforms, saying  they were hinged on enduring and long term effects.

Onuigbo,  who reiterated the need for Tinubu’s re-election, said it  was necessary for him to continue his good works.

He explained that  removal of fuel subsidy is now yielding results with increased revenue being injected into the economy.

Onuigbo, particularly, expressed gratitude to Tinubu for creating  the South East Development Commission (SEDC)  aimed at addressing  devastations of the civil war.

He described SEDC as a panacea to age long marginalisation of the southeast since after the civil war.

The lawmaker, however, advised the leadership of SEDC to judiciously manage their resources  to develop the zone.

He said: “There is need to reposition our agriculture, need for integrated railway line for the entire  southeast to boost commercial and entrepreneurial activities.” (NAN) 

 Mr Nyesom Wike,  the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT),  has expressed optimism that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would survive its current adversity.

Wike stated this when he hosted the party’s stakeholders under the aegis of “Concerned Stakeholders of the PDP” from the 36 states of the federation and the FCT, in Abuja on Monday.

Some of the stakeholders included former Gov.

Also at the meeting were the National Secretary of the PDP, Sen. Samuel Anyanwu and former Senate Minority Leader, Sen. Philip Aduda.

Former federal and state lawmakers and some zonal and state party executives among others equally attended the meeting.

The minister, while addressing the stakeholders emphasised that the PDP should not be allowed to die, describing the concerned stakeholders as those who believe in the survival of the party.

“All of you here are those who are committed to the survival of our party, not just talking on television or in the newspapers, but committed to the party at various levels,” he said.

He argued that the activities of the G5 Governors had stabilised the country, stressing the need to respect the constitutions of the party and Nigeria.  

“You may like us, you may hate us; the truth of the matter is if G5 did not take the decision we took, this country would have been in crisis.

“It doesn’t matter who the beneficiary was, but the right thing had to be done, and we still stand by that decision.

“We have continued to emphasize that the party’s constitution and that of the country should be respected.

“If the party had listened to what we said, we wouldn’t have been where we are today,” he said.

Wike stressed that as an opposition party, members of the PDP should not continue to act with impunity, adding that no opposition party acts with impunity.

“Ours is to continue to pacify people and bring them together and desist from saying that they should go to hell.

“Let us not allow greed; let us not allow ego to kill out party,” he advised

On his part, Ortom noted that he who pays the piper dictates the tune and challenged anyone in Nigeria to tell Nigerians who has contributed to the growth of the PDP more than Wike.

He said that President Bola Tinubu understands that the country should not be a one-party state, which was why he appointed Wike as the FCT minister.

“For whatever reason, PDP made a lot of mistakes and that is why we are where we are today”, he said. (NAN)