2023: Governors, stakeholders shun Yoruba summit meant to discuss Tinubu presidency

Governors of South West zone on Thursday shunned a summit on Yoruba Nation: ‘Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow’ organised by a pan Yoruba Socio-cultural group, Yoruba Patriots Movement (YPM)in Ibadan.

There was also a low turn out and apathy by stakeholders who were expected at the meeting.

The South West governors were expected in attendance in a summit that was meant by all the South West States, but only Governor Gboyega Oyetola of Osun was represented at the event, while others neither show up nor sent representatives.

South West geopolitical zone insisted that the 2023 presidency must be zoned to them while pushing for the National leadernof the ruling all Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu.

However, Thursday’s summit was trailed with controversy as another Socio-cultural group, Afenifere opted out few days to the summit.

Though, the Yoruba Patriots Movement disguised to be discussing the general interest of the zone, suspicion was rife that the summit would be about Tinubu presidency, until it became obvious that the summit centred on him with speakers and dignitaries making a case for him.

The summit which held at the International Conference Centre of the University of Ibadan was virtually empty with most of the invited guests absent.

National Coordinator of the movement, Oladosu Oladipupo told the Northern political stakeholders to respect the pre-2015 general.elecrion agreement and.return power to the South in 2023.

Oladipupo said, it was time to pay Tinubu for all the sacrifices he has paid for enthroning the APC government all these while.

He said: “Tinubu has led Yoruba nation twice to support President Buhari’s presidential ambition. Tinubu’s cabinet was pan-Nigeria not only pan-Yoruba when he was the governor of Lagos State. He remains the only Yoruba man who worked tirelessly for the emergence of Buhari. So, we should all support him to contest the 2023 presidency.

“We must work hard to assist him to become the president of Nigeria. He has the mental capability and whatever is required to rule this country. We have been moving across the nation to tell Nigerians that this is the time for the Southwest to become Nigeria’s president.”

Also speaking at the event was Bosun Oladele who described the summit as a right step in the right direction. He urged Yoruba leaders to look inward because this is the time for active participation to key into the Yoruba agenda.

APC chairman in Lagos, Tunde Balogun, dismissed opposition to Tinubu’s presidency, saying the former Lagos State governor represents the hope and the future of Nigeria.

Meanwhile, members of the Kogi State House of Assembly have continued to campaign for Governor Yahaya Bello’s presidential ambition. Yesterday, they were at the Niger State House of Assembly where they appealed to their colleagues to support Bello’s ambition.

The members were led by the Speaker of Kogi State House of Assembly, Matthew Kolawole.

Kolawole said: “We in the Kogi State Assembly have resolved and endorsed Governor Yahaya Bello for the 2023 presidential election and we have agreed to consult all the states houses of assembly in the country for their support and subsequent votes while we appeal to you all to support this crusade.”

Responding, the Speaker of the Kogi House of Assembly, Abdullahi Bawa Wuse, described Yahaya Bello’s ambition as a worthy project.