Members of the South West Agenda for Asiwaju (SWAGA ’23), the pioneer support group that championed President Bola Tinubu’s 2023 presidential aspiration, have said they won’t relent in their support for the president.
The group made the commitment amidst insinuations that President Tinubu had dumped the group after his election victory.
Event watchers have observed that leaders and members of the group are missing in Tinubu’s cabinet and other key appointments despite their roles in selling his candidacy to voters, not only in the South West but also in many states across the federation.
Reacting to the development in Abuja on Thursday, a member of the group from Kwara State, Alhaji Ahmed Kadiri expressed surprise at the President’s actions, stating however that SWAGA ’23 remained undeterred.
Observers say Tinubu appears to be acting like ex President Muhammadu Buhari who ditched those who worked for his election in 2015 and his re-election in 2019.
They noted that President Tinubu is serving SWAGA ’23 the same bitter potion that Buhari served those who made it possible for him to win his elections twice.
Additionally, the group said Tinubu fought tooth and nail to ensure Buhari’s electoral victory twice, but Buhari turned his back on him shortly after he was elected president.
Many have expressed the view that Tinubu ought to feel the pain of his pre election campaigners the same way he felt it when Buhari sidelined him throughout his eight-year tenure.
It would be recalled that SWAGA ’23 campaigners stuck out their necks for Tinubu in 2020 even during the COVID-19 crisis, cris-crosing different parts of the country despite the risk of infection.
Members of the group were being mocked, even by some associates of the President who called them unflattering names for marketing what they considered to be “unsellable product”.
The Kwara born SWAGA ’23 campaigner said: “Interestingly, some of those who mocked us at the time, were among the first set of people President Tinubu gave choice appointments in his cabinet while our members are being left in the lurch.
“Many of our leaders in SWAGA are accomplished Nigerians by all standards. Among them are former Ministers and former National Assembly members. But none of them has been considered for a place in the Tinubu administration” Kadiri said.
Analysts posit that sidelining campaign groups after election victory could discourage future participation as the experience can be quite discouraging.
The Kwara SWAGA chieftain, however, said the group will continue to support Tinubu and his administration despite the fact that the President has not met their expectations.
“Yes, our members feel embarrassed when people, out of genuine concern, or outright mockery, ask us what we have got to show for our support for Tinubu. But we are not discouraged and our support for the President remains unshaken”, he said.
