The clarion call on the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, to contest the 2023 presidential election represents the general wish of Nigerian electorate as expressed by them.
Mr. Muhammed Mustapha Yusuf, convener of a political group, Nigerians Unite 4 Tinubu, NUT, made this assertion while speaking with journalists at Ikeja in Lagos State on Sunday.
Yusuf said the position of his group was based on a survey it conducted which showed Tinubu as the favourite of Nigerians.
According to him, the APC chieftain beat 11 other prominent politicians drawn from the southeastern and southwestern parts of the country.
Yusuf explained that NUT being a solidarity/support group for Tinubu’s presidential aspiration in 2023 was not formed until November 2019 after a scientific-based research was conducted.
He said the result of the exercise which was objectively analysed put him (Tinubu) on 53.6 per cent as the favourite, and ahead of his closest contender, who had 21.3 per cent with 10 others far behind.
He added that the outcome of the survey gave the group the zeal to come together towards giving the project (Tinubu’s presidential aspiration) the best and desired shot.
“We aren’t surprised at all that the clarion call on our principal (Tinubu) is coming from every angle and increasing by the day because our survey has revealed so.
“We’re just waiting for the appropriate time to come out with our detailed findings because even the main subject (Tinubu) seems yet to be convinced. You would observe that he hasn’t said ‘yes’, though he also does not say ‘no’ as regards his presidential aspiration in 2023.
“We guess it is because he is a very thorough politician, who leaves nothing to chance when taking (political) decisions. Meanwhile, we aren’t bothered by his silence. Thus, we are already mapping out strategies towards his victories in the party primaries and general elections in case he says ‘yes’ afterwards.
“Part of the reasons why we’re here today for this retreat is that there are many activities going on behind the scene and Nigerians would know about them as they unfold with time.”
Meanwhile, the group has clarified the reason for not including politicians from other geopolitical zones of the country, apart from those of the South-East and South-West in the survey carried out.
The reason, according to Yusuf, was that those from the other zones did not meet the mandatory 10 per cent benchmark for proceeding from one stage to next of the research.
“It may be observed that politicians weren’t drawn from other geo-political zones of the country, apart from the South-East and South-West, in the survey’s report. This is because it (the survey), being a scientific-based research has mandatory 10 per cent benchmark that must be met before any geo-political zone could proceed from one stage to the next.
“In fact, this (10 per cent benchmark) is even far below the 25 per cent constitutional requirement. So, since it is only the South-East and South-West that met the (our) requirement, the 12 politicians were drawn from there.”
