Fiery elder statesman and former general secretary of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Chief Frank Ovie Kokori, says because Nigeria has been fair to the presidential standard-bearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, he should spend the remaining part of his life to save Nigeria.
Kokori, who together with Asiwaju Tinubu and others fought the actualization of the annulled June 12 presidential election won by late Moshood Abiola, however, warned against a northern Muslim running mate.
The septuagenarian gave the admonitions on Sunday following the emergence of Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu as the APC presidential candidate in a landslide victory on June 8, at Eagles Square, Abuja.
He said he was happy to be alive to see Tinubu break the myth surrounding the cabal and “I’m happy that I’m alive to see this day and I will continue to give him any assistance he desires.”
Speaking on the June 12 anniversary at his Ovu country-home in Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State, the APC stalwart gave unequivocal assurances that Asiwaju Tinubu will win the 2023 presidential election.
“Nigeria has been fair to him so he should return the fairness and lead her back to her glorious days.
“I’m happy that I’m alive to see this day and I will continue to give him any assistance he desires.
“He should use the remaining time of his life to save the country,” he charged.
While appealing to the Northern leaders and governors to be instrumental to Tinubu’s easy victory come the 2023 poll, Chief Kokori warned them to eschew a Muslim – Muslim ticket.
“They should bear with him and not impose the Muslim ticket on him.
“They should take that as a sacrifice because religion and ethnicity have become a significant issue in this country.
“He should be given a free hand to pick a noble Northern Christian and support that Christian.
He congratulated Asiwaju Tinubu on his victory, declaring him as the only living politician capable of breaking the cabal holding Nigeria down, just as he did at the primary.
“Tinubu winning this election is hallelujah to me! He is the only strong personality who can break the cabal that has been in charge of this country all the years of Buhari’s rule,” he asserted.
The Ovu-born former labour leader, who expressed joy and relief at the emergence of the APC flag-bearer, identified the cabal as the cause of the socio-economic woes bedevilling the country in the past seven years.
He said although President Muhammadu Buhari is a good man, he allowed persons with self-serving interests around him to derail his focus.
“The joy I have on the result of the primary election is because I knew that among all the aspirants, Tinubu is the only one who will have the guts to step on toes.
“He is the only person who can take on the cabal that has put Nigeria hostage for the past seven years. He broke the myth surrounding the cabal.
“Buhari is a good man, no doubt about that, but he is not in touch with the people in the country and with what is happening in this country because he surrounded himself with a cabal that is so ruthless and who always struggles for their personal aggrandizement to the extent that they monetize public positions in this country.
“He gave all his power to his cabal and as a result, those people without connection in the country are not able to be in the position of power.
“Most of the problems we have in this nation are not being solved because of the same reason. Nobody should pretend; we all know that most of the positions in the country were being monetized and sold out by the cabals.
“Nigeria is in a state where 300 students can be kidnapped at a go; a trainload of passengers can be hijacked and people worshipping in the Church can just be killed at will. Life has become so cheap and brutal.
“Is this still not same Nigeria some of us grew up in in the 60s and 70s? This generation of Nigerians prays every day for a better life.
“So many Nigerians are streaming abroad. I always shed tears when I see my people, the young Africans dying in the deserts and high seas trying to crossover to other countries.
“Nigeria was the hope of Africa and we enjoyed it up till the 70s to the early 80s. When we fought for freedom and democracy, we thought that after gaining what we fought for, our country would be a better place for everybody.
“But right from the days of Obasanjo, it has been oppression and victimization, exploitation by the same people we struggled to put in power.
“I don’t think there’s a better candidate than Tinubu; who can take on the cabal and rescue Nigeria, finally,” he averred.
Speaking on the health status of the former governor of Lagos State which many have described as a minus, Kokori said there was no cause for alarm inasmuch as a terminal ailment is out of the equation.
“I was worried about his health, but I know that once a person crosses the age of 50, he tends to face different health challenges, which is normal in the whole world.
“Tinubu is still very sound mentally. I watched him in Asaba. In fact, the speech he presented in Abuja after winning was superb.
“Buhari himself had this challenge but today, he is one of the fittest persons. So, his health challenges should not be a problem so long he doesn’t have a terminal disease,” he noted.
The APC elder in Delta State thanked President Buhari for ensuring a free and fair APC presidential primaries.
“The last hope of this country lies with the APC government and I thank Buhari for making the last primaries free and fair without succumbing to blackmail.
“I pray for our country and I pray that Tinubu will not forget where he is coming from as God has given him this opportunity to put his name in gold,” he admonished.
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