- Mocks ADC for holding ‘street convention’
BY EDMOND ODOK – Ahead of the 2027 general elections, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu says having been down that path before, the opposition cannot scare him as the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration doubles down on its ongoing reforms in the polity.
Pointedly declaring that he is not afraid of those plotting to take over power from him come 2027, the President said he is committed to the opportunity of a lifetime to break the country from the shackle of poverty, ignorance, and put freedom in the hearts of Nigerians and ensure that democracy survives.
Speaking when members of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors, led by Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State visited him at the presidential Villa, Abuja, on Thursday, President Tinubu said, “There’s no other path that we embrace to national greatness. Other than build one nation, one common vision for progress and the prosperity, of our people. That’s what we must do. That’s what Renew Hope is all about.”
He challenged the Renewed Hope Ambassadors to work towards building one united country, and berated the opposition for being all about noise-making rather than working and wishing the best for Nigeria’s socio-economic development.
Also cautioning that the government would not “submit to disobedience of a lawful order of the court”, the President said, “We must embrace the judiciary. Whether it favors us or it doesn’t. We submit to this principle of democracy. Separation of power and understanding of the dynamics of it.”
President Tinubu, who dismissed the recently held African Democratic Congress (ADC) convention as a ‘street convention’ and mere ‘rascality’, pledged to protect Nigeria’s democracy ahead of the 2027 elections, saying: “Not the noise making. Not the rascality of a street convention. You want to scare me off? It’s a lie. I went through this path before. And if I have to come back over and over and over again, I’ll do the same thing.”
According to him, those trying to take over power from him have history of failures that shows lack of capacity, adding, “None of them is without history, the head was the Chairman of the National Council on Privatization (NCP), in this country. One time, they privatized the steel industry in Delta State, is it working today? No. They privatized the Ajaokuta Steel, is it working today? No. Go on with the list. They privatized another man’s political party. That one said no.”
He maintained that Nigerians must be given hope and “try as much as possible to be men and women of integrity”, saying: “There is no better place than your own country, and no one can build it, except you. We saw great things, we’ve seen skyscrapers, we wondered how the plane takes off and fly out from one destination to the other.
“These are no magic of yesterday. It is the thinker of tomorrow and the future that can elevate life, that can reform us all. And being a transformative leader that you are, you are in good company.”
While tasking the Renewed Hope Ambassadors to remain bold and shun fear in their political engagements, President Tinubu charged: “Don’t be afraid. I have listened to you. This economy, I didn’t have to look back because the truth is, I took over from myself. The late Buhari is me, he was a partner and if I took over from him, is that not from myself? So, if something is wrong, fine. Live with it, correct it, move on.”
Going down memory lane, the President portrayed his rise to power as a turbulent battle, describing both the primaries and the general election as profoundly difficult and “tough”, adding that “During the general election, it was tough” but he successfully navigated these challenges to ultimately claim his place in the Presidential Villa.
