SWAGA: Tinubu swaggers into 2023 race

Ayodele Olalere

The momentum is gathering, the coast getting nearer. The direction in which the South-west is headed in the 2023 presidential election was made clear on Thursday, October 7, 2021, with the launch of the Lagos chapter of South West Agenda for Asiwaju, SWAGA ‘23.

SWAGA is a political movement championing the bid of the former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to become Nigeria’s president in 2023. The group is headed by Senator Dayo Adeyeye.

There have been speculations on whether the national leader of the ruling party, All Progressives Congress, APC, would run for the exalted post.

There have also been contentions over which region should produce the next president. The gentleman agreement purportedly reached among different political regions in the country made provision for a rotational presidency between the South and the North.

With President Muhammadu Buhari, a northerner, whose eight-year tenure is coming to an end in 2023, the South is expected to produce the next president. Though there have been arguments on whether the South-west has the moral right to produce the next president having occupied the position from 1999-2003 during the tenure of President Olusegun Obasanjo, and the South-south also producing the President Goodluck Jonathan.

Not a few Nigerians especially from the South-west have been clamouring for the candidature of Asiwaju Tinubu.

Before Thursday’s launch of the movement, the London home of Asiwaju Tinubu, who is recuperating in the United after surgery, had become a Mecca of some sorts as politicians from every part of the country were visiting him.

The visits were seen by many people as political moves by the politicians to endorse Tinubu as their preferred candidate for the 2023 presidential election.

Therefore, it came as no surprise when the Lagos chapter of SWAGA was launched amidst fanfare. The presence of the governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, his deputy, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, political bigwigs in the state and from nearby states, was a move to give credence to the authenticity of the group as well as the state government’s endorsement of Asiwaju Tinubu aspiration.

Before the Lagos launch, the group had visited other South-west governors and traditional leaders to seek their support for Tinubu’s ambition.

The group had launched chapters in Osun, Ogun, Ondo and Ekiti states after its regional inauguration in Ibadan, the political headquarters of Western Nigeria, on December 15, 2020.

At the Lagos launch, while praising Asiwaju Tinubu for his political doggedness, and giving reasons why Tinubu should become Nigeria’s president, the keynote speaker at the event, Professor Adebayo Otitoloju, a Professor of Ecotoxicology at the University of Lagos, described Asiwaju Tinubu as a politician who had produced several successful politicians across the country.

Describing Tinubu, Prof Otitoloju stated, “He’s a politician who has demonstrated the capacity to identify leaders who can ensure continuity, a politician who can read the mood of followers and take decisions. A politician who is ready to make sacrifices at the expense of his interests. A politician who can unseat a sitting president. A politician who can spread hands across the Niger and form political machinery to help other politicians achieve their ambitions after several attempts.

“This is a politician that has been described by other politicians as leader of leaders, a political juggernaut, an icon of democracy and a political jingoism. In the next dispensation, these are the political credentials worthy of the next president of Nigeria come 2023. No other person is worthy of this apart from Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”

Kafilat Ogbara, a member of the newly launched Lagos executive of the political movement, said in the interest of fairness and national unity, the South, especially Asiwaju Tinubu should and is qualified to become the next president.

“Our team led by Senator Dayo Adeyeye and our group members had traversed the length of the South-west with the most important message our nation needs now. Today, we are setting up machinery for the advancement of our nation to rescue our society from deadly challenges of insecurity, banditry, poverty and unemployment. In the interest of national unity and justice,” she said.

Ogbara added: “Asiwaju has a level of acceptability. Our solution is no other person than Tinubu. He relates with everyone. Many have become successful through Asiwaju. Since 1999, he has built many who have become somebody politically starting from councillors. Without Asiwaju, the present president wouldn’t have been there. He has contested several times but did not win before Asiwaju came in.  Asiwaju will do well. Asiwaju has done it before, he will do it again if allowed to serve this country. We are appealing to you to give Asiwaju support for the generation unborn and make our country one of the best.

“Today’s poverty is no longer systematic as Nigerians are not able to afford shelter and lack food. Today is a clarion call on all of us that we with focus and total commitment to project a trusted icon for our next president in Nigeria, a leader with a vision and mission, a leader with character and courage and charisma, a tactician with principle. No other person than Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”

Ogbara further said the group had visited more than 100 Obas in Lagos State within the week and over 300 in general in the South-west after a successful tour of the South-west.

Although Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has not declared his intention to contest the 2023 presidential election, the grand launch of the Lagos and other South-west chapters was a confirmation of his acceptability among his people. His posters for the poll have flooded the Lagos metropolis.

Tinubu’s posters for the poll were seen in many strategic areas of the state, such as Ojota, Maryland, Ketu Ikeja, Lagos Island, Ikorodu, Ikotun, Igando, Ojuelegba among others.

The group commenced a week-long sensitization, consultation and mobilisation tour in Lagos with visits to traditional rulers in Badagry, Ikeja, and Lagos divisions to solicit their support.

After meeting with traditional rulers in the three divisions of the state, Senator Adeyeye said the group had been strengthened to forge ahead in its consultations because of the positive responses from millions of Nigerians.

He urged the traditional rulers in the areas visited to prevail on Tinubu to run for the 2023 presidential election.

According to the national chairman of SWAGA 23, Tinubu is preferred for the highest service, having demonstrated that capacity as former governor of Lagos state.

He stressed that Tinubu is eminently qualified to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023, saying he would build on the achievements recorded by the administration and inspire new hope in the future of the country.

Adeyeye described him as a great national asset, a hunter for talents, a lover of human development, an economic problem solver and a bridge builder.

During one of the visits to traditional leaders in the Ikorodu division, Adeyeye told newsmen the group recognized the role of traditional rulers in achieving their aim.

“We are here to visit the traditional rulers because they are a vital element in governance.  We have been to Badagry and met with the monarchs in Ikeja Division and Lagos Division”, he said.

All the traditional rulers in their response endorsed the candidature of Tinubu and beckoned him to contest for president.

Prominent among the traditional rulers that endorsed Tinubu to contest for president were Onigando of Igando, Oba Lasisi Gbadamosi; Ojora of Ijora Land, Oba Fatai Ojora; Oniru of Iruland, Oba Gbolahan Lawal; Elegushi of Ikateland and others.

They all also lent their voice to the agitation for his candidature while praying for a successful outing for the group.

Adeyeye, who is a former minister commended the traditional rulers for their role and support for the government, adding their role in good governance could not be overlooked, charging them to do more.

He said the group was in the state to seek the traditional rulers’ support, blessings and for them to prevail on Tinubu to contest for the 2023 presidential election.

Speaking on the rotation of power between the North and the South, he ruled out the agitation that power should shift to other zones in the South such as South-east or South-south, adding the gentleman agreement only provides for rotation between the South and the North, making the South-west also qualified to produce a candidate, despite occupying the position in the past.

He stated that for the 2023 presidential election, it was the turn of the South to produce a president and the issue of who is to produce the president within the Southern region didn’t arise because every individual within the region whether South-south, South-east or South-west has the right to it.

Speaking on behalf of traditional rulers in Ikorodu Division, the Ranodu of Imota, Oba Ajibade Agoro said the national leader of the APC, Tinubu was a worthy leader who had over the years impacted the lives of the people positively and he deserved to be supported for the interest of the South.

Similarly, traditional rulers in Epe Division also gave their royal blessing to the campaign.