Gbajabiamila Mobilises Nnamani, Dogara, Other Ex-legislators for Tinubu’s Second Term
Gbajabiamila Mobilises Nnamani, Dogara, Other Ex-legislators for Tinubu’s Second Term
*Southern caucus of forum of former lawmakers adopts president as sole candidate
James Sowole in Abeokuta
President Bola Tinubu’s chances of re-election for a second term yesterday brightened when his Chief of Staff and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, mobilised the Southern Caucus of the Forum of the Former Legislators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to endorse him as their sole presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.
The Southern Caucus of the Forum of Former Legislators, which adopted Tinubu as the sole presidential candidate in the next general election, comprises some former speakers and principal officers of the House of Representatives from the South-west, South-south, and South-east parts of Nigeria.
The summit was convened by Gbajabiamila for the Southern Caucus of the former legislators, with the former President of the Senate, Senator Ken Nnamani, as chairman of the occasion.
However, the event, held at the June 12 Cultural Centre, Abeokuta, the Ogun State, was also attended by some members of the Northern Caucus of former legislators, including a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara.
In adopting President Tinubu as the sole presidential candidate in the 2027 general election, according to a communiqué issued at the end of the summit, the former legislators acknowledged Tinubu’s various reforms, which have, in the last two years, re-engineered the economy, strengthened the currency, and set the nation on the path of socio-economic recovery.
Speaking at the summit, Gbajabiamila noted that with the signing into law of the tax reforms, President Tinubu has ushered in a new era of economic justice built on fairness, accountability, and national purpose.
The Chief of Staff, while quoting the World Bank Development Update, said the country’s economy expanded by 4.6 per cent in the final quarter of 2024, pushing annual growth to 3.4 per cent, the fastest pace in a decade.
He further added that the country’s fiscal deficit narrowed from 5.4 per cent of Gross Domestic Product in 2023 to 3 per cent in 2024, driving the federation revenues from N16.8 trillion in 2023 to an estimated N31.9 trillion in 2024.
The former House of Representatives’ Speaker noted the importance of unity in diversity, adding that without national unity, there could be no national development and that a nation without peace cannot experience progress.
“The country can draw strength and inspiration from culture, music, arts, and traditions. Nation-building is a joint task that goes beyond building roads, bridges, schools, and hospitals; it is about forging a sense of common identity and purpose among the citizens.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ensured purposeful leadership through the establishment of development commissions across the six geopolitical regions of the country. The development commissions would no doubt help channel more federal resources to develop and implement infrastructure and human capital development across the country.
“Nation-building is not only the work of the government, but also for citizens, both at home and in the diaspora, who have a stake in the Nigerian project to join hands with the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration to build a nation every citizen will be proud of.”
Speaking on the contributions of lawmakers in the task of moving the nation forward, Gbajabiamila said: “This summit is an exceptional opportunity for friends, former colleagues and patriots who are committed to the promise of Nigeria to jointly consider the various ways we might individually and together support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in implementing the long-delayed economic, political and structural reforms necessary to advance Nigeria’s cause and ensure the progress and prosperity of all our people.
“The members of this forum played vital roles in ensuring the emergence of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Many continue to serve in government, helping our president serve this country and implement the Renewed Hope Agenda. The federal cabinet alone includes 15 former members of the National Assembly. That number does not include the President, the Vice President, the Deputy Chief of Staff, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, and me, all of whom are veterans of the federal parliament.
“The trend continues across the departments and agencies of the Federal Government of Nigeria, where former legislators are engaged as chief executives and in other senior executive roles. The evident dominance of former legislators in government is both a result of this president’s recognition of your contributions to the growth and development of our democracy as well as a testament to the role of the National Assembly as an incubator of exceptional political, administrative, and governing talent,” Gbajabiamila added.
In his message, the host, Governor Dapo Abiodun, noted that nation-building isn’t the sole responsibility of one region, one party, or one institution, but a shared duty that transcends tribal, religious, political, and economic divides.
Abiodun added that unity does not mean uniformity, but a celebration of diversity under the framework of justice, equity, and respect.
While acknowledging the former legislators as embodiments and essence of representative democracy, Governor Abiodun said that apart from performing legislative duties, they also perform oversight functions and representation through which the voice of the people at the grassroots is brought to the government at the centre.
“You must be committed to a united, secure, and economically vibrant region. You must continue to support policies and programmes that promote inclusive governance, human capital development, and inter-regional cooperation,” he said.
Chairman of the occasion, Senator Nnamani, in his opening remarks, stressed the need for former legislators to come together to deliberate on the challenges confronting the nation and proffer workable solutions to the government.
In his remark, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Dogara, urged Nigerians not to allow pretenders in the political space to cause them to lose faith in the Tinubu-led administration, observing that the agitations of the so-called pretenders are not about patriotism, but more about vengeance and power.
While affirming that the structure of the pretenders was built on mendacity, fury, and spectacle, Dogara noted that the country has begun to experience economic recovery.
On her part, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Patricia Etteh, called for cohesion, dialogue, and shared purpose to navigate the journey of sustainable development, adding that unity remains an ingredient for peace and democratic progress.
The National Coordinator of the Summit, Hon. Raphael Igbokwe, gave the assurance that the meeting would serve as a platform to find solutions to the nation’s problems, urging the sub-nations to collaborate with the federal government in moving the nation forward.
While the Attorney General of Edo State, Hon. Samson Osagie, read the communique, the motion for the adoption of the communique was moved by a former Senator representing Rivers East, Magnus Abe.
The communique read, “We commend the innovative reforms of government which include, among others, the establishment of regional development commissions, local government autonomy, student loans scheme, and deregulation of the electricity sector, and call for greater collaboration of State Governments, and support of citizens alike to be able to harvest the great potential of these reforms.
“That as a body, we will always align ourselves to those things that will promote the unity, peace, and prosperity of our dear country, Nigeria.
“We commend the patriotic courage of our colleagues of the Northern caucus in calling for the South to complete their tenure of the leadership of the country.
“We affirm that it is the turn of the South to complete its tenure. We posit that it is in the best interest of the South and the nation that the incumbent, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, completes the tenure of the South.
“Accordingly, we adopt him as the sole candidate of the South. We call on the South to support the North in 2031 to take up their tenure for the leadership of our dear country. We call on all Nigerians to pursue this course to promote national unity and firm the foundation of nation building.”
The post Gbajabiamila Mobilises Nnamani, Dogara, Other Ex-legislators for Tinubu’s Second Term appeared first on THISDAYLIVE.
*Southern caucus of forum of former lawmakers adopts president as sole candidate James Sowole in Abeokuta President Bola Tinubu’s chances of re-election for a second term yesterday brightened when his
The post Gbajabiamila Mobilises Nnamani, Dogara, Other Ex-legislators for Tinubu’s Second Term appeared first on THISDAYLIVE.
Hot Source
