2023: Why Tinubu's 'Failing' Health Can't Stop His Victory — Support Organisation

Prior to the emergence of APC Chieftain, Chief Bola Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, as the 2023 Presidential flagbearer for the ruling party, and even after his election, his seeming poor health and age have been a source of debate, especially among opposition minds.

In this interview with AllNews Nigeria, Ahmed Garba, the Vice President, Bola Tinubu Support Organisation and Coordinator of the Northern region, says all that matters is that the Jagaban has the skills needed for a country like Nigeria at this time.

Q- After his emergence as the APC Presidential flagbearer, how possible would it be for him to win the 2023 election?

Ahmed: In Sha Allah, we are very certain that he will win this election, we are very certain God willing.

Q- Some members of the opposition and even Nigerians feel the aspirant is not healthy enough to occupy the seat of the President, do you still believe they (Nigerians) would really vote him to power?

Ahmed: Who is healthy in this country? [Giggles] Who is healthy in this country? Besides, not being well hasn't stopped him from walking, it didn't stop him from thinking...the gift he has of innovating new ways has not been affected either.

It is a matter of having the know-how, the idea. Haven't you seen how he made public his agenda for the country? The things he would achieve?

In fact, people were surprised at this. He (Tinubu) is not the one to personally do the work, he would assign experts to the places they should be placed. He is gifted in placing technocrats and experts where they should be.

Q- Though a President doesn't physically do the job, a healthier President would provide better confidence in appointees and other staff to do what's expected of them. Can Asiwaju Tinubu still provide that confidence if elected?

Ahmed: He definitely will. Why? When he was a Governor (of Lagos), Chief Obasanjo denied the state its allocation. But that didn't deter him from paying workers in the country or running the state.

In fact, the revenue generation capacity for Lagos State increased beyond expectations, it's still increasing to date.

Q- In 2014 and years before that when now President Muhammadu Buhari was seeking Nigerians' mandate to lead the country, he made certain promises and set an agenda which was creating a million jobs yearly and reviving the country's oil refineries. So far, the youths are still jobless and the price of petrol continues to rise. Wouldn't his (Buhari's) failed promises rub off on Tinubu in the election? Especially as they are from the same party (the APC) and in a similar age group?

Ahmed: He is not Buhari. Buhari has made his promises, they were his and it was said he has failed. His (Tinubu) wouldn't be like that.

If he assigned an official to a task and he fails to fulfil them, Tinubu would say I've given you a task and you failed to deliver, you're fired.

He has that power as the President. I gave you an example of his time as Governor in Lagos State. Among the policies he placed the state on is why it's prosperous today.

And the release of Tinubu's agenda for the country, it gives you a picture that he has everything planned to restore this country's wealth.

Q-  Among the agenda is ensuring that 25% of Nigeria's budget is for education and 10% for health. Given the debt status of this country, how realistic is his agenda going to be?

Ahmed: This is not a problem for this man o, it's just people who don't know him are the ones questioning his ability. After the realisation of his economic revival, what else would be a problem?

These debts would be paid off, and I assure you revenue generation would be on an all-time increase.

Q- In a statement that he (Tinubu) made, he mentioned how being the President is his 'turn' after he helped President Buhari, making being Nigeria's President sound more like his right than love for the country and its people? Wouldn't that be a turn-off for voting Nigerians?

Ahmed: [Smiles] Ahhh, he just spoke and yes if you helped someone...from the beginning, he was promised to be the Vice President, and then later become the President.

But it was later figured out that no, a Muslim-Muslim ticket wouldn't fly. So he brought in Professor Osinbajo, with the promise that he would be the next Presidential Candidate for the party.

All these elders know of this arrangement. They should come and deny it. It is a matter of promise. We wouldn't go back on our promise, we don't do that in the Northern part of this country.