Setback For Tinubu’s 2023 Ambition As SWAGA, TSG Clash Over Harmonisation

A major disagreement has broken out between two major support groups of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, former Lagos State governor and national leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2023 presidential election.

According to sources, the cold war is between members of South West Agenda for Asiwaju (SWAGA’23) and the Tinubu Support Group (TSG).

SWAGA’23, which comprises former National Assembly members and former local government administrators, has been in existence since December 2020, while the TSG came into existence in October 2021.

According to Daily Independent, trouble, started when Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin, a former member of the House of Representatives, who is Director-Gener­al, Tinubu Support Groups Management Council, made a proposal that all groups in the country canvassing sup­port for the emergence of Tinubu as president in 2023 should come under one um­brella so as to have uniformi­ty in ideas and strategy.

He was also said to have suggested that there is a need to have a national body drumming support for Tinu­bu instead of having sever­al regional support groups to which SWAGA, which is perceived by some as a South- West group, belongs.

“Abdulmumin Jibrin and James Faleke are the ar­rowhead of the TSG. Jibrin who is the Executive Direc­tor, Business Development, Federal Housing Authority, suggested that all the support groups of Tinubu should come together under the ban­ner of the TSG. Members of SWAGA, led by Senator Dayo Adeyeye and Otunba Bosun Oladele, rejected the idea as they believe the aim of the TSG is to sideline them and hijack the campaign”.

On January 17, this year, all support groups of Tinu­bu under the aegis of BAT Support Group Management Council (SGMC) met at the International Conference Centre, Abuja. SWAGA boy­cotted the event even though the organisers said its offi­cials were duly invited.

Speaking at the event, Jibrin said the purpose of the conference is “to harmonise activities of all BAT support groups.”

When asked if SWAGA was part of the support group, a prominent member of the TSG who asked not to be named said, “SWAGA is now part of the larger fami­ly of the BAT Support Group Management Council. All the support groups have been harmonised into one and the SGMC is now the official body canvassing support for Asiwaju Bola Tinubu nation­wide”.

When asked if he was aware that the January 17 event was boycotted by SWAGA leaders, he said, “Honestly, I was not aware be­cause there were thousands of people and groups at the event. We sent invitation to them and they acknowl­edged. They have not issued any statement that they are not part of the BAT SGMC and I am just hearing it from you now that they boycotted the event.

“You will agree with me that SWAGA is a South-West body. Even from the name, it is called South-West Agenda. We also have other groups in the North and Eastern part of the country. The man we are canvassing for wants to be the president of Nigeria, which is a national project. We don’t want to be working at cross-purposes and that is why we decided to harmon­ise”, he said.

When contacted, Hon. Bosun Oladele, SWAGA’s National Secretary, said the group did not discuss harmonisation with anyone. He also said the group will not join issues with anyone or group.

“We never sat down to discuss harmonisation with anybody. We are not bothered about harmonisation or no harmonisation. I believe that is a needless controver­sy and we should avoid that. We are focused and majorly concerned with Asiwaju get­ting the APC ticket. Rather than talking about harmon­isation, everybody should go and work within their own capacity, enclave and area of jurisdiction.

“The ultimate thing is to ensure that our goals are met. If anybody calls themselves support groups for Asiwaju, then the goal should be how to ensure that he wins the ticket and the presidential election.”

When asked if he doesn’t see the need for all the groups to come together under one umbrella, Oladele said, “Where is the time? The time we will be spending trying to sit down and talking of harmonisation can be used productively in canvassing support for Asiwaju. I don’t know if people are getting paid with these support groups but I know that in SWAGA, we are not being paid.

“We are paying for ev­erything, we are doing from our pockets. If we are doing that, then why the needless arrangement to now have meetings, discussing har­monisation. I believe that when Asiwaju wins the tick­et, harmonisation is possi­ble”, he said.