The former Minister of Communication, Adebayo Shittu, has insisted that the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu will win the 2023 election with or without the support of Afenifere, the Pan-Yoruba socio-political group.
Shittu’s declaration is coming on the heels of the announcement of the acting leader of the group, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, that Afenifere has adopted the candidature of Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP).
The former Minister, however said, Afenifere’s decision to back Obi is no threat to the presidential ambition of Tinubu.
Shittu, who is the national cordinator of the Tinubu/Shettima Coalition for Good Governance spoke at the sideline of a political discourse, organised by a group, “the Progressive Friends of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu”.
The theme of the discourse, held at Ado-Odo Ota Local government area of Ogun state, was: “Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu: The Game Changer”.
He however called on the Yorubas to ignore Adebanjo who he said has lost touch with reality and cannot speak for the ethnic group.
The former Minister insisted that, Adebanjo is no longer relevant politically, hence he should not be given any serious attention.
“Why should baba Adebanjo’s matter give any concern? In the last 22 years, baba Adebanjo has never won, not even a councillorship election for himself or any of his proxies.
“So, as far as I’m concerned, it is a non issue and I will rather ignore him than make a fuss of it.
“Baba Adebanjo has never supported the Yoruba course and whatever he does now goes to no issue as far as I’m concerned. We are all Yorubas, baba is more than 90 years old and you know at that age, you have to excuse him of so many fallible, political and otherwise.
“There is no doubt that Tinubu is the idol of Yorubaland, if not of Nigeria today. At least three-quarter of Nigeria idolize Asiwaju and they have hope in him that he is coming to redeem Nigeria, that he is coming to transform Nigeria, that he is coming to give hope to the wretched, the poor, the disadvantaged and the under privileged”, Shittu said.
