By Nathaniel Zacchaeus, Abuja
Members of the South West Agenda for Asiwaju (SWAGA), have lamented that President Bola Tinubu had dumped them after his election victory.
The group spearheaded Tinubu’s 2023 presidential aspiration while others kept Nigerians guessing.
It has, however, been observed that key leaders and members of the group are currently missing in President Tinubu’s cabinet and other key appointments made so far.
They described the development as unfair despite their roles in spearheading the campaign, not only in the South West but also in many states across the federation.
A SWAGA leader from Kwara State, who was accosted by some journalists in Abuja on Thursday lamented the President’s actions.
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The enraged politician, who spoke on conditions of anonymity, noted with regret that Tinubu appeared to be behaving like former President Muhammadu Buhari who dumped those who worked for his election in 2015 and his re-election in 2019.
The politician said 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 in 2015 and 2019.”
He said, “Tinubu, who fought tooth and nail to ensure Buhari’s electoral victory twice, became a victim of such unfair treatment as Buhari turned his back on him shortly after he was elected President.
“If the saying that ‘he who feels it knows it,’ is anything to go by, then Tinubu ought to feel the pain of his campaigners the same way he felt it when Buhari side-lined him throughout his eight-year tenure”
The politician said he was speaking the minds of other members of SWAGA.
He recalled that “SWAGA ’23 members stuck out their necks for Tinubu in 2020 even during the COVID-19 crisis, crisscrossing different parts of the country despite the risk of infection.”
He said, “At the time the group was selling Tinubu’s candidacy, we were mocked, even by some associates of the President who called us unflattering names for marketing what they considered to be an “unsellable product”.
He 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 were 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.”
He noted with concern that side-lining campaign groups after election victory could discourage future participation as the experience can be quite discouraging.
The Kwara SWAGA chieftain, nevertheless, said the group would continue to support Tinubu and his administration even though the President had not met their expectations.
“Yes, our members feel embarrassed when people, out of genuine concern, or outright mockery, ask us what we have to show for our support for Tinubu. But we are not discouraged and our support for the President remains unshaken”, he said.
The National Coordinator of SWAGA, who is a former Senate spokesperson, Senator Adedayo Adeyeye, could not be reached on the phone for his reaction on the matter on Thursday as his mobile appeared to have been switched off.
Calls put across to his mobile did not connect and he had yet to reply to the SMS and WhatsApp messages sent to him as of the time of filing this report.
