…As party’s stakeholders dismiss Atiku, Obi, Duke alliance posing threat to Tinubu
From Romanus Ugwu Abuja
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, has boasted that members, chieftains and leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) will campaign to deliver President Bola Tinubu in next year’s presidential election using incontrovertible facts.
Akume made the disclosure in his remarks during the inauguration and official unveiling of the Renewed Hope Project 2027, under the theme; “A New Beginning, A Shared Vision, With Greater Nigeria,” by Supporters of President Tinubu’s re-election bid in Abuja on Monday.
Speaking as the Grand Patron of the group, Akume, represented by his Senior Special Assistant, Technical, Babatunde Bernard, assured that Renewed Hope movement would continue to present what he described as verifiable facts about the administration’s performance as it mobilises support for the 2027 elections.
He argued that the President Tinubu-led administration is addressing structural challenges in the country from their roots, unlike previous governments that, according to him, failed to tackle some of the fundamental problems confronting Nigeria.
He cited the local government autonomy initiative and digital reforms as examples of measures that could strengthen governance and improve service delivery.
Akume further noted that; “The administration had given Nigerians renewed hope. Meaningful national development often required difficult decisions and sacrifices. The growing interest of foreign investors in Nigeria is evidence that the country is gradually becoming more attractive for foreign direct investment,” he said.
Earlier the stakeholders have dismissed planned alliance among opposition figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Donald Duke and other political actors, describing the move as no threat to the ruling party.
The group’s Chairman, Board of Trustees, retired Major General Abdulmalik Jibril, said the proposed opposition coalition would amount to an “exercise in futility.”
He insisted that the performance of the Tinubu-led administration, rather than political calculations, would determine the outcome of the 2027 presidential election.
The event brought together party leaders across the country, political appointees, National Assembly members, representatives of serving governors and grassroots coordinators and mobilisers across the country.
Reacting officially to the moves by opposition leaders to forge a common front against the ruling party, Jibril said: “The combination of opposition politicians would not unsettle Tinubu’s re-election prospects.”
“All put together is an exercise in futility. We have seen them before; they have done nothing and they are not going to do anything again. So, we are not perturbed at all. We don’t care about what they do,” he said.
Speaking further, he noted that; “The 2027 election should not be reduced to political rhetoric. Nigerians would ultimately assess the administration based on its record and the impact of its policies on their lives.”
Jibril challenged the opposition to identify an administration that had delivered achievements comparable to those of the Tinubu government.
“If anybody has done anything similar or above what we have done in this administration, let him come forward with it. It is not an issue of argument or just talk. It is a question of what people can see on the ground,” he said.
The retired military officer also rejected comparisons between the present political environment and the circumstances that produced the APC’s historic victory over the Goodluck Jonathan administration in 2015.
He argued that the 2015 election was influenced by widespread perceptions about the performance of the government at the time, stressing that the same circumstances could not automatically be applied to the Tinubu administration.
“Of course, people have the right to talk about rhetoric, but talking about reality and what is on the ground, we can’t compare what happened in 2015 and now,” Jibril said.
(The Sun)