Director-general of the Nigerian Institute of Sports, Philip Shaibu, has declared that the only coalition Nigerians should rally behind is one that backs President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for re-election in 2027.
Speaking when he visited the headquarters of the Tinubu Support Group (TSG) in Abuja, Shaibu said Nigeria’s foundation was already broken before Tinubu assumed office, but the president had stepped in with determination to strengthen it.
“The foundation of our nation was already broken, one man came and said we must strengthen the foundation. Have you wondered why they are fighting Tinubu? It is because of the foundation,” he said.
Shaibu dismissed criticisms from opposition figures, noting that some of them had held positions of power for years without delivering tangible results.
“One of them said he is hungry; he didn’t know when he voiced it out. Someone that was a minister in a good ministry and governor for eight years,” he stated.
Shaibu argued that Tinubu’s policies are bringing renewed hope across all sectors of the economy, stressing that the President’s first four years must be seen as a period of rebuilding.
“Every sector you enter, the man is building renewed hope. Asiwaju is helping us build the future. These characters know because they know it’s not business as usual. The first four years is building the foundation. You can’t build a skyscraper on a faulty foundation,” he said.
Shaibu therefore urged Nigerians to rally behind the President, insisting: “the only coalition we must agree to is Asiwaju for 2027.”
On his part, The Director-General of the TSG, Umar Tanko Yakassai, described the opposition coalition as a gathering of politicians desperate to return to power and continue looting the nation’s resources.
Yakassai, who dismissed the credibility of the group, said most of its members had been in government for decades without delivering meaningful results.
“Coalition is a pack of bags, it’s the coalition of people who want to take over and continue looting. We know most of them since we were kids, all of them have been in government,” he said.
He argued that none of the opposition figures could measure up to the record of President Tinubu, pointing to the President’s achievements in just two years in Aso Rock.
“Someone spent eight years in Aso Rock and has not done what Tinubu has done in two years,” Yakassai stated.
He further held up Tinubu’s legacy as Lagos State governor as unmatched, stressing that his leadership pedigree remained far ahead of those now parading themselves as alternatives.
