2023 Presidency: ‘Throw your hat into the ring’, S’West group urges Tinubu

Former governor of Lagos state and the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu has been urged to throw his hat into the ring for the 2023 presidency and succeed President Muhammadu Buhari.

A group of rainbow coalition of like- minded politicians, comprised APC bigwigs of South West extraction, under the aegis of  South West Agenda (SWAGA’23), who converged in Ibadan, the Oyo State Capital, made the appeal  at the end of a meeting held by its delegates on Tuesday.

In enhancing realization of their goal, the delegates, also agreed to mobilize henceforth to form, gather people and replicate SWAGA’23 at the state, local government, ward and polling units in the South-West zone.

The meeting, which also featured the launch and unveiling of the logo of the South West Agenda  (SWAGA ’23) for Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, had in attendance the chairman, Planning Committee of the movement, Sen. Dayo Adeyeye, former Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro; and an ex-Minister of Works, Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe.

Other prominent APC members involved in the SWAGA ’23 movement, included : former Speakers of Lagos State and Ogun State Houses of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji and Suraj Adekunbi, the immediate past Secretary to Ondo State Government, Ifedayo Abegunde; former deputy governor of Oyo State, Chief Moses Adeyemo; former Senator Adesoji Akanbi, former member of House of Representatives, Barrister Bosun Oladele, who is the secretary of the planning committee and the Osun State Commissioner for Works and Transport; Engr. Remi Omowaiye.

Contained in the communique jointly signed by the Chairman and Secretary of the Planning Committee, Sen. Dayo Adeyeye and Hon. Bosun Oladele respectively , the group noted that the Southern region of the country ought to produce the next President in the interest of fairness, justice, equity, peace and unity of Nigeria in accordance with the understanding freely reached among the founding leaders of APC at the formation of the party.

 

The communique read, “South-West Nigeria, being part of the Southern Region, has the right to contend for the presidency of the country like every other region in the south. South-West Nigeria is very encouraged to contend for the presidency as we have highly qualified, marketable, capable, passionate, active and suitable candidate for the presidential contest come 2023.”

They, however enjoined Nigerians to support the emergence of Tinubu as the next president, assuring that he was capable leading the country out of the current quagmire.

Earlier in his address, the Chairman of the Planning Committee, Sen. Dayo Adeyeye, said though, Tinubu has not authorised them to embark on the mission, but they decided to do so on their own volition.

According to the former Minister of Works, “for the discerning mind, 2023 election is already in the front burner of national discourse. The discussion right now everywhere in the country is about what should and should not happen in 2023. That being the case, it is imperative that we should be part of this national discussion”.

Adeyeye, who described the former governor of Lagos state as the most qualified for job continued, “In the South West, our cause is buoyed by the fact that we have someone in our midst, who towers above other aspirants to this highly exalted office. He is a ready-made man for the job. He is one of the most experienced politicians in the country today – with a track record of unparalleled achievements in all facets of governance.

“He is Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, former Governor of Lagos State, national leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC”.