Why Tinubu Will Be Re-Elected Despite Not Being Popular – Ex-ACF Spokesman

A former national publicity secretary of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Anthony Sani, said the hardship in the north does not translate into rejection of President Bola Tinubu’s second term.

He argued that the North is not the only region contending with the high cost of living.

Naija News reports that Sani made the remarks in a statement issued to journalists on Tuesday in Abuja.

Sani maintained that although the economic reforms had imposed significant hardship on Nigerians, difficult but necessary policy decisions were required to move the country away from decades of dependence on oil revenues and consumption-driven economic practices.

The former ACF spokesman questioned why the economic hardship was increasingly portrayed as affecting only one part of the country.

“When some people say there is growing rejection of President Bola Tinubu in the North because of high cost of living, it makes me wonder if the hardship from high cost of living is an exclusive preserve of the North,” he said.

Sani said the country’s economic challenges stemmed from years of consuming oil revenues without building sufficient productive capacity.

He argued that moving Nigeria out of what he described as four decades of economic stagnation would require difficult decisions that might not provide immediate relief to citizens.

“I agree with Emir Sanusi that to take Nigeria out of the economic doldrums that span about four decades, when Nigerians did not produce but consumed oil wealth that is not the result of hard work, is very necessary, and cannot be painless,” he stated.

The former ACF spokesman argued that Nigerians should acknowledge what he described as Tinubu’s patriotic courage in undertaking economic reforms, particularly in the absence of what he considered a viable alternative from opposition political parties.

According to him, criticism of government policies should be accompanied by practical proposals that can address the country’s economic challenges.

He maintained that until a more convincing alternative economic programme emerged, Nigerians should give the President credit for taking what he described as difficult but necessary decisions.

“And as long as nobody or group has been able to proffer a superior viable alternative course of action to what President Bola Tinubu is doing, Nigerians are expected to understand and credit the president for patriotic courage,” he said

Based on these considerations, Sani maintained that Tinubu could secure another presidential term despite the economic difficulties confronting Nigerians.

“One therefore needs not be a psephologist to know that though President Bola Tinubu may not be popular, he would still be reelected because no one has provided a superior alternative course of action to what the president is doing,” he argued.