2023: Why Bola Ahmed Tinubu is the preferred choice – Batati

Alhaji Ibrahim Abubakar Batati is the coordinator of the National APC Supporters Centre for the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Senator Kashim Shettima’s presidential ticket. In this interview with TOPE SUNDAY, he speaks on why the presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress APC is the preferred choice for 2023.

What led to the formation of National APC Supporters Centre?

About what made us to create this group, we don’t have another father land aside Nigeria. We looked at it from that angle and created the National APC Supporters Centre because we don’t have anywhere to go. We didn’t want to sit down and look at our country go into the hands of people that cannot even control their local government or the polling units. That made us to form the National APC Supporters Centre, and it is formed from the grassroots to the polling units, and from the polling units, to wards, and from wards, to the local government level.

You and some members of the group have been going around to sell Tinubu to Nigerians. Do you think he has the credentials to rule the country?

Yes. Let me start from Lagos and from NADECO. Asiwaju is one the nation builders that fought for this democracy today. That is why I am telling you that Asiwaju needs to be begged to rule the country because he personally didn’t fear Soldiers. During the Abacha regime, he faced and fought them. Today, every one of us is now benefiting from his gesture.

Let’s start from Lagos state where he managed the state, and its people very well. The so called ‘Agbero’ in those days are now LASMA officers, the then ‘Area boys’ are now working in the companies and generating revenue for the state. If Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu had been given the chance to rule Nigeria, all the security challenges would have been tackled and nobody would be violent again. So that is why myself and my supporter groups have come together to say that we don’t have any other person to campaign for than Asiwaju.

There are many doubts about his eligibility especially his health. Is he truly ill?

He is not ill. In the third week of September, we were together with him. He even matched down before I could get down. Is the man that clamped down before me a sick man? He had a long list of engagements. During the week under review; he was in Gombe. He sleeps late and wakes up early. Is that a sick man? By the way, is he going there to play football or boxing like Bash Ali, or Muhammad Ali? It is about leadership. If he is elected, he will use youths as his ministers, and in other key positions. This is because he had done it before.

It seems some groups of youth are ganging up against him. What is the take on this?

Those so-called people who are just being used by giving them bread and 1000 naira. So, we didn’t count them.

Are you saying the youth are with him?
The majority of the youth are with Asiwaju, and from my group, you can also see from our members. Most of the groups supporting his ambition are youths.

Do you also think youths have anything to gain from his government if he is elected?

When he was the Lagos, he ruled with youths. They worked in various places. Some of them were given the opportunity to become commissioners and some of them are now ministers. Among them are Lai Mohammed, Babatunde Raji Fashola, Rauf Aregbesola, Muiz Banire, Sunday Dare and our Vice president, Professor Yemi Osibanjo. All these people I mentioned were some of the young people that worked with Tinubu when he was the governor.

You are a northerner from Niger state and there are speculations that northerners would compromise their votes for Tinubu to support the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Abubakar Atiku. How would you react to this?   

Majority of the votes from the north are going to Tinubu and I’m just telling you, those votes are for Tinubu and Kashim Shettima. This is because APC is in control and in charge of the northern part of the federation. So for that, just go and relax about that. There are five states in the North-central controlled by the APC; six out of seven in the North-west are controlled by APC; three states in the North-east are controlled by APC.  My brother let us do the calculation, do you think all those governors will want to lose control? Are we not still in charge? The northern APC governors in the first place supported Asiwaju in the primary election. All the governors will deliver their states for APC.