2023: Group expresses worry over Tinubu’s chances in South West, says region used to ‘shooting down’ their own

The Bola Ahmed Tinubu (BAT) Ambassadors, a support for Bola Tinubu, All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, has suggested that the biggest threat to any candidate from the Southwest geopolitical zone becoming a national leader has always been from the zone.

Chief Afolabi Ekungba, Interim National Coordinator of BAT Ambassadors, made the remark on Sunday in Lagos during an interview with newsmen.

Speaking on the electoral chances of Tinubu, Ekungba said the problem of the zone in national politics is that the zone often pursues ideas that are never realistic.

“The people of Southwest will want to set standards that don’t politically work anywhere as if they are angels,” he said.

“They will always come up with different methods to shoot down their own.

“What they did to Chiefs Obafemi Awolowo and MKO Abiola, are good examples.

“We, therefore, need a group that is adequately strong enough to address this.”

Ekungba, a former governorship candidate in Ondo State, explained that BAT Ambassadors was formed, primarily to address misgivings from the Southwest zone.

He noted that the political support group had devised two major strategies, including mass movement strategy of room-to-room campaign.

“We plan to reach every Yoruba man and woman, boy and girl one-on-one,” he said.

Ekungba said the other strategy was to use the social and conventional media to engage the people.

“This is to meet the challenges of the youth who are always glued to their handset and various social media handles,” he said.

Ekungba said that the Tinubu and Shettima joint presidential ticket represented practical and demonstrable evidence of performance.

He said, if allowed to be replicated at the national level, the ticket will in the shortest possible time produce the desired national growth and development.

“The country needs a man with the courage to steady the ship of the country; sustain achievements of the past and project the country into achieving its full potentials as desired by the people.

“We see in Tinubu, the demonstrable evidence of that type of courage. We mean the courage to take hard decisions where it will hurt for the benefit of the nation.

“We need a man with an unequal passion for the federal system of government.

“It is only when Nigeria returns to federalism that our peaceful co-existence can produce a geometrically exponential social-economic development.

“We see in Tinubu, the un-repentant commitment to the ideas of true federalism

“We need a man that can consistently follow ideas agreed upon, not a fair-weather personality that will jump from boat to boat as it will suit his personal desire or those of his cohorts,” Ekungba said.

He pointed out that more than 90 per cent of the members of the BAT Ambassadors are people that would otherwise not be ready to touch politics and politicking in Nigeria with a very long spoon.

Ekungba said the reality on the ground had forced them out of their shelves.