29th August, 2023
By Rotimi Ijikanmi
The 4th Tribe Global Movement has frowned at the exclusion of immediate past Katsina State Governor Aminu Masari from President Bola Tinubu’s government.
The South-West-based political group alleged that cabals in the Tinubu-led government schemed out Masari in spite of his unflinching loyalty, investment, and contribution to the emergence of the administration in the last elections.
In a statement signed by Mr. Abayomi Mighty, the convener and leader of the group, he contended that Masari was one of the northern governors who spearheaded the rotational presidency, the power shift to the south, and the choice of Tinubu as presidential candidate.
The statement was made available to newsmen on Tuesday in Abuja.
‘It is on record that Masari was one of the few governors in the North who initiated and supported the rotation of the presidency to the South and the emergence of Tinubu in particular.
“He also led the way by talking to his northern colleagues to support Tinubu’s candidature. He effectively weakened the opposition in Katsina State through his good governance,” he said.
Mighty described Masari as an “unrepentant supporter of Tinubu” who used his political acumen and influence to turn Katsina into a stronghold for the All Progressive Congress (APC).
He noted that Katsina State’s contribution to the Tinubu presidency cannot be overemphasised.
According to him, in spite of the security challenges and the naira scarcity that created apathy during the voting exercise, the APC in Katsina State came out for the 2023 elections with an impressive performance and only a marginal loss.
“In the presidential results, data made available by INEC showed that the APC scored 482,283 votes as against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with 489,045 votes.
“APC lost Katsina State in the presidential race due to anti-party activities, but Masari was not deterred as he led the party to an impressive victory in the National Assembly elections, winning three senatorial seats and nine out of 15 House of Representatives seats for APC.
“As a grassroots politician, he used his influence and relevance to mobilise massive support to win the gubernatorial election for the current sitting governor of Katsina State,” he said.
Mighty said that with Masari’s contributions to the victory of Tinubu in the elections, he deserved the offer of first refusal in the ongoing horse-trading for political appointments.
He, however, alleged that some detractors used a purported Masari’s lack of presence at national campaigns across the country to advance their nefarious course during the ministerial nominations.
According to him, the detractors drummed the beats of calumny and went further by ensuring that out of the two ministers from Katsina State, none came from Masari.
Mighty, who described Tinubu as “a successful democrat who truly rewards loyalty and recognises capacity”, alleged that some of the decisions made so far were by the cabals without the president’s final approval.
He said that, apart from Masari, other loyalists of the president were already distraught by some actions of the cabals, negating the well-thought-out plans that will deliver the renewed hope agenda for Nigerians.
“The Tinubu administration should be meticulous in identifying and rewarding stakeholders from Katsina State and other parts of the North-West states on the basis of contributions and political values.
If, for any reason, Masari is completely schemed out by the cabals, then a lot of compatriots and party faithful that are already surprised at the way he’s being treated will see this as a betrayal, which President Tinubu is not known for.
“Every variable should be put on the table to share rewards based on deliverables,” he said.
Mighty, on behalf of the group, urged President Tinubu to tread the path of meritocracy, equity, and fairness on matters concerning the North and Katsina State, in particular.
NAN