By Olusegun Olanrewaju
A group of current and past political appointees at the local government, state, and federal levels yesterday unveiled the Grassroots Network for Asiwaju Tinubu (GNAT) to mobilise support for the actualisation of the presidential aspiration of the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
Speaking during the unveiling of GNAT at the Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja, Chairman of GNAT, Mr Abiodun Mafe, said Tinubu’s declaration to run for the presidency of Nigeria is payback time for the local government operatives in Nigeria.
The event, which attracted a large crowd, comprised serving and former local government chairmen, councillors, supervisors, secretaries to the local government, secretaries to education, special advisers, special assistants, and other political appointees at the local government level across the country and other members of APC.
According to Mafe, there now exists a nationwide grassroots movement of local government operatives determined to ensure that Tinubu picks the ticket of the APC and proceeds to win the February 18, 2023, presidential election.
He said, “For those of us in Lagos State, in particular, we feel eternally grateful to God and history to be given the rare opportunity to use our votes to demonstrate our gratitude to an uncommon vehicle of change, a true defender of the right of states as component units of the Nigerian federation to perform their constitutional obligations as enshrined in the constitution without interference, oppressive subjugation and autocratic garrulity of a president that violates the spirit and letters of a federal constitution.
“The local government system in Lagos State and all other states in the federation still bears the inequity and inequality imposed by military rule. It was this exploitative gridlock that the Lagos State Government led by Asiwaju Tinubu tried to unlock with the creation of 37 additional local governments in 2003.
“We would be ignorant to forget so soon that Asiwaju courageously and innovatively kept the local governments running for years, while the Federal Government seized the legitimate earnings of Lagos State.
“Asiwaju sacrificed and flogged himself night and day to keep the 37 babies that were born from dying. He refused to commit their abortion.”
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A Co-founder of GNAT, Mr Ayodele Adewale, who was a former of Amuwo-Odofin LGA of Lagos State, said for Tinubu’s demonstration of courage over the years, it became imperative to set up the movement to actualise his aspiration.
Adewale said, “For that demonstration of sacrifice and courage, the entire political appointees and civil servants in the local government system in Lagos State and our comrades and allies across Nigeria believe the occasion of Asiwaju’s declaration to run for the presidency of Nigeria is payback time for the local government operatives in Nigeria.
“We are happy to announce that there now exists a nationwide grassroots movement of local government operatives determined to ensure that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu picks the ticket of the APC and proceeds to win the February 18, 2023, presidential election.”
Also, a member of the group from Kano, Mr Abdul Yakasai, said Nigeria needs a leader like Tinubu for equitable development.
“As Nigeria is now, we need a leader like Tinubu that can meet the basic needs of Nigeria. We need a leader that can take care of health, educational needs, and others. Let us go back to our grassroots and canvass for Asiwaju to be president. Go and get your voter’s card to actualise that dream,” he said.
