Certain members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) within the Southwest Tinubu-Shettima Presidential Supporters Movement have urged President Bola Tinubu to promptly dismiss some of his appointees who are allegedly scheming against him for their selfish gains. In a statement to the press on Thursday in Lagos, the supporters of the Tinubu-Shettima Presidential campaign strongly criticized what they referred to as a “diabolical plot.”
They called upon President Tinubu and the leadership of the APC to take immediate action to prevent disloyal individuals from taking control of the party.
Furthermore, they pledged to expose those who are planning to succeed Tinubu in 2027 under the assumption that he may not be able to run for office. The supporters emphasized that the claims made by a prominent APC member, Jesutega Onokpasa, regarding a group of individuals around the President plotting his early exit, should not be dismissed lightly.
Onokpasa, a former member of the APC Presidential Campaign Council for Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, alleged in a video that the recent controversies surrounding the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s accusations against former Kogi Governor Yahaya Bello and the ongoing criticisms of former Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai were part of a larger scheme against the President.
Representing the group, Femi Bode-Banjoko, an APC Chieftain and Coordinator of the Southwest Tinubu-Shettima Presidential Supporters Movement, stated that although Onokpasa did not call names, it is evident that those involved in the plot are pursuing their political interests at the expense of President Tinubu’s leadership.
Bode-Banjoko added: “These individuals have been misusing their positions as presidential appointees to advance their personal agendas instead of focusing on their official duties. As a result, their performance in office has been unsatisfactory thus far. Rather than assisting the President in enhancing national security and the economy, they have been preoccupied with targeting their political rivals across the country, causing harm to the nation. Their actions are tarnishing the reputation of our Party among Nigerians as they fail to fulfill their responsibilities and instead focus on alienating those who contributed to our Party’s success in the previous presidential election from the President.
“For example, former Governors Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State and Ganduje of Kano were among the Northern Governors who provided unwavering support and loyalty, working tirelessly to secure Asiwaju’s victory as our Party’s Presidential candidate and subsequently as the President and Commander-in-chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria last year.
“Nasir El-Rufai and former Governor Yahaya Bello were instrumental in challenging the ill-conceived Naira redesign policy that caused hardship to many Nigerians. These regressive political opportunists orchestrated El-Rufai’s exclusion from ministerial appointment through baseless petitions and are now inciting his successor against him. Former Governors El-Rufai and Yahaya Bello delivered their states to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2023 through unprecedented dedication and party loyalty, while those who are now causing trouble did not contribute significantly to the Party’s success. Yet, they are leveraging their positions to undermine those who were pivotal in securing the Party’s victory.
“They have made it their mission to undermine our Party’s national chairman by fueling conflicts against him through proxies. They have succeeded in isolating former Governor El-Rufai from the President and the Party and are still pursuing him through his successor.
“They are targeting former Governor Yahaya Bello, who worked diligently to secure victory for the President and the Party in the gubernatorial election in his state, despite their lack of contribution to the Party. The individuals in question are failing to fulfill their duties in their respective offices, resulting in no tangible improvement in national security and other areas.”
The Coordinator of the support group urged the President to dismiss all incompetent and disloyal members of his cabinet and replace them with individuals who can assist in achieving better national security and other developmental objectives.
By: Nwakaji Peace Martins
