As Nigerians prepare to elect its next President, a group known as Friends of the Society for Good Governance has drummed support for the candidature of Ahmed Tinubu, saying that his regime will prepare the younger generation to run the affairs of the country.
Addressing newsmen on Tuesday in Abuja, the leader of the group, Labeeb Abdullahi-Mahmoud, said that the Presidential flag bearer of the APC has bred leaders from different parts of the country, adding that that leadership trait stands him out above all the other Presidential aspirants.
Reacting to the comments credited to Mo’Ibrahim who mocked Africans for their consistency in electing old and weak leaders, Mr Mahmoud said that Nigeria is not yet ripe to have a young President.
According to him, the structure to elect such a young leader is absent in the system.
He said: “We need to have solid structures first, before we can bring in people like us, to lead this country. You know, we want to be part of the system.
“But are we ready for it? So we need somebody that has done it somewhere so that once he creates that platform, he institutionalizes it, then we can take over. So I want to believe Nigeria is not ready for a young president.”
He said that President Muhammadu Buhari has not done enough to create the kind of atmosphere that will accommodate a young President.
“He has tried his one best but he has been ridden with a lot of challenges. With a Jagaban in the picture, he will be able to put things right”.
When confronted that Mr Tinubu is yet to unveil his manifesto, the leader of the group said: “His manifesto is going to be an all-inclusive manifesto and I am sure it is going to cater for all the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians.
“Nigerians are looking for solutions and the country needs to grow. You can find that in the Jagaban,” he said.
Harping on the qualities that distinguishes Mr Tinubu for the number-one position in the country, Mr Mahmoud said: “Jagaban has created his own brand despite the short comings of this regime, he is a leader per excellence, a patriot without boundaries with untiring capacity to nurse, nurture, mentor and develop ordinary people to become leaders of repute.
“Jagaban is seen as someone who wields enormous power and influence, quiet and unassuming but a skillful team player, flawless political strategist with in-depth knowledge of the political temperature of the country.”
He lamented that despite his broad political outreach, Mr Tinubu attracts all kinds of negative publicity but quickly.
“He remains victorious and sustains a large appetite of getting involved in every political activity big or small and has been able to build strong fellowship that are addicted to his fascinating leadership style which cuts across social, economic, religious and ethnic dimensions”.
