Tinubu-Shettima groups form alliance to defend election victory

Different groups that supported the President-elect, Bola Tinubu and the Vice President-elect, Kassim Shettima, in the Feb. 25 presidential elections have formed an alliance to defend the election victory.

Sen. Ita Enang, Coordinator, All Progressives Congress (APC) Renaissance Team for Tinubu-Shettima Presidency, made this known Thursday evening at a meeting with other associated bodies.

“We came together with the Amalgamated APC Support Groups and other organisations that worked and campaigned for the success of our party in the different parts of the country.

“We decided to have a get-together; a brainstorming session to review how the election was, appreciate how we did and then, look forward to inauguration.

“Above all, we have decided also to constitute ourselves into a vanguard that will defend whatever the opposition is saying or doing that is negative; to defend our mandate and whatever any person is doing that is capable of threatening the system.

“We stand as vanguard to make sure that it does not go bad,” he said.

Enang, who was former Presidential Adviser on Niger Delta Affairs, said the attacks on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the conduct of the election was unnecessary.

“The challenge that came out which is why they are accusing INEC is just normal in every election.

“The umpire is always abused in every election whenever a winner emerged.

“I listened to a great Nigerian some days ago when he said that unless the opposition party wins election, it is not free and fair.

“When the government in power wins election, they will think it was rigged.

“Unfortunately, the opposition of this time seems to be louder.

“So what we have decided to do here is to match them in being louder and to get loudest against the opposition because there have been a lot of lies and when it is repeated without being countered it acquires a life of its own.

“That is why we came together to say that we will not allow that to happen.

“We also decided that we will be working at the different corners where we are to douse and bring the message to every person on the need to maintain peace and allow the election petition tribunal to do its job,” he said.

The ex-presidential aide also urged members of the tribunal to insulate themselves from public opinion that could affect their decision.

“We have agreed to preach the message that if you are in the tribunal, keep off the streets and if you are on the streets and you want to be on the streets, get out of the tribunal, and to create a consensus among Nigerians.

“Already, each of the groups has been doing this but we came together today as one united body to decide to fight this as a bloc and set a narrative towards inauguration,” Enang said.

He decsribed the election as “free and fair.”

Mr Haruna Alfa, Director of Admin, Amalgamated APC Support Group, also described the 2023 general poll as “one of the best free, fair, transparent and generally acceptable election, particularly from 1999 to date.”

He said it was the election where the votes, intention and mindset of Nigerians truly counted.

“You will recall that in some places where we expect the giant ones to lead, the mighty ones fell in those elections,” he said.

Mrs Safaa Adama, Secretary, Tinubu-Shettima Independent Campaign Council, said she backed Tinubu Presidency because she believed in his competency to deliver good governance.

“He is a man that stands by his word and recognises every individual by their capacity,” she said.

The immediate-past Director-General, National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), Mr Rufus Ebegba, said he looked forward to a greater Nigeria as Tinubu prepares to take over the leadership position.

He commended President Muhammadu Buhari for creating an open field for everyone to contest.

Mrs Dorah Daniel-Ebong, a commissioner representing Akwa Ibom at Federal Character Commission, recalled that people were mobilised for the poll without any financial inducement.

It was reported that some of the groups at the meeting include Queen Amina Support Group for Tinubu-Shettima, WAZOBIA Stakeholder Group, among others.