Determined to ensure that the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, emerge victorious at the poll on February 25, the BAT Ambassadors for Nigeria’s Greatness (BANG), last week, stepped up its grassroots mobilisation with the inauguration of officials at the 54 local councils in the three states of Ekiti, Ogun and Ondo.
The BAT Ambassadors appear not to be leaving no stone unturned in its mandate to ensure that not only that the presidency return to the South after eight years of President Muhammadu Buhari, which will end on May 29, 2023, they are also determined to see that a Southwest political gladiator, Tinubu, who contributed immensely to the success and return of power to the north in 2015 wins the next general election.
The formation of BANG, according to the National Coordinator, High Chief Jamiu Afolabi Ekungba, who presided over the inauguration of the LG officials of BANG in the three Southwest states, is motivatated by the realisation of a dip-seated voters apathy among the southwesterners and the need to reverse the ugly trend.
He justified this position by the stats of uncollected Permanent Voter Cards (PVC) released recently by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). This was before the commencement of the ongoing PVC collection exercise across the country.
The INEC data revealed that about 7.92 million Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) have not been collected across the country with the Southwest having the largest chunk of the uncollected cards. The data showed that the Southwest accounts for 43.9 per cent of the PVCs waiting to be collected at various INEC offices in the states.
While the South West has the highest uncollected PVCs, the Northeast has the least uncollected voter cards. Also, in the three geo-political zones in the southern Nigeria, there are 5.61 million PVCs waiting to be collected at INEC offices, whereas the three geo-political zones in the north have 2.31 million voter cards uncollected. This implies that the three geopolitical zones in the southern part of the country accounts for 70.8 per cent of the uncollected PVCs.
A breakdown of the uncollected PVCs across geopolitical zones revealed that there are uncollected 3.48 million cards in the South West; followed by the South-south with 1.28 million uncollected PVCs; North Central has 1.2 million uncollected voter cards; South East has 850,000 uncollected voter cards; North West has 740,000 PVCs yet to be collected while the North-east with the least has 370,000 uncollected voter cards.
While soliciting the support of the grassroots communities in Ondo State for the APC presidential candidate, Chief Ekungba underscored the imperativeness of raising the consciousness of Southwesterners about participation in politics with emphasis on the need to maximise the on-going exercise of the PVC collection across the country.
He clarified that Muslims as the target of the BANG campaign was a coincidence as the project began from Oyo State on December 11 last year where the APC presidential candidate met with Southwest Muslims to solicit their support ahead of the February 25 general polls.
The inauguration of the LG officials in Ondo, Ekiti and Ogun states, last week, Ekungba said was in line with the resolutions reached at the December 11, 2022 town hall meeting with the APC presidential candidate.
Speaking in Akure, last Monday, with the new executives of the BAT Ambassadors that will steer its activities across the 18 local councils of the state ahead of the general election, the BANG national coordinator pointed out that the 2023 general election would provide Nigerians the opportunity to put the country on the pedestal of great things.
He said: “Election is coming in about 50 days from now, people have been working and canvassing but now, we shouldn’t be thinking of that election itself, we should think of our roles and responsibilities, what are the lines you must not cross and what are the things you can do to help our candidate, that is why we called this meeting.
“The day of election is also very important and we need to educate these people of their responsibilities and what they should expect at the polling unit so that the election will go very smoothly, plain and fairly.”
On his part, the state coordinator of the group, Amir Sirajudeen Abdulazeez, said the essence of the interaction was to renew the hope of the people in politics.
“Election is almost here and we have always experienced a recurring decimal. The first part of the decimal is that it is only the politicians that always come out to vote which has always affected the voting turn out.
“In Ondo State, we have over 1.5 million registered voters. Elections that have happened in the last dispensation, we have always recorded 600,000 or 700,000 which means that nearly one million people are not coming out to vote.
“So, as BAT Ambassadors, you go out and hunt for those who are not coming out to vote, those who have lost hope in governance, those who felt that the government is just using them to butter their bread. We want to bring out and give them a renewed hope, that with their participation, we will get it right, that is the essence of the BAT Ambassadors.
“We have a lot of Muslims here today because most of the people that have lost hope in government, in democracy are Muslims, especially in Ondo State.
“They are not involved in governance, the population of Muslims in the present government or even the past government has not been up to two per cent or three per cent.
“We want to tell them that there’s hope, with their participation, we can get it right. We equally have programmes to reach out to those who are not equally Muslims in the nearest future.
A leader of the group, Dr. Abass Mimiko said, “BAT Ambassador is a non-political organisation or association of like minds, who believe that it is actually the turn of the South West Nigeria to produce the next President and who think that the ‘Jagaban of Africa’, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is the right man for the job.
“At this moment, if we think of equity, fairness and justice, we think it is the turn of South West and we believe he’s the candidate we have that is eminently qualified among all the contestants, he is outstanding, he will be the one that will take Nigeria out of this lock jam, he can think out of the box, he is a bold man, he is an intelligent man, he is an economic expert, he is a development expert, that is the kind of leadership Nigeria needs at this very time if we are going to move forward.”
He said the duty of the BAT Ambassadors is to spend its own money, energy and resources to canvas vote for Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the entire Southwest because “we think he is the best man for the job and we are bold enough to say it that we have accessed all the candidates and we believe that he (Tinubu) has what it takes, the quality, the experience, the international recognition and what he needs to rule the largest black nation on earth.”
Addressing the BAT Ambassadors, on “Participation in Electioneering Process, Our Civic Responsibility,” the State Training officer of INEC, Olawale Olaleye, urged Nigerians to be responsible citizens by actively participating in electioneering process.”
In Ekiti, the group urged Muslim faithful to ensure 70 percent votes for Tinubu-Shettima project.
It emphasised the need for Muslims in Ekiti not to divide their votes, but to form a united front to mobilise for the victory of Tinubu in February 25 election.
At the inauguration ceremony held last Tuesday in Ado-Ekiti, new officials from the 16 local councils were admonished to go back home and sensitise people about the sterling qualities of the former governor of Lagos State and why they should vote for him and make him win over 70 per cent of votes.
Emphasising the ongoing PVCs collection exercise across the country, the new executives were urged to “tell those who have not collected their PVC to go and do so. This is your first major assignment.”
In his welcome address, the Ekiti Coordinator of BAT Ambassadors, Alhaji Adedipe Adebayo, said that Muslims are parts and parcel of Nigeria and cannot be indifferent to what is going on politically.
“We can’t separate religion from politics. Those of us who are Muslims believe that we are parts of Nigeria and that whatever is going on in the country, we must feel concerned.
“We can’t allow those who are not competent to be leading us. We heard what Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu has done in Nigeria and we believe that he is capable of ruling the country. This is why we gathered here to mobilize to win the presidential election.
“We are telling our people to go back home and enlighten the people to come out to vote for a competent leader and that leader is Tinubu. As Muslims, we believe in participation in the election. We are praying that he will win because of our prayers and the antecedents of Tinubu.”
Around also to motivate the participants was BANG national coordinator, Chief Ekungba as he expressed hapiness that the group’s mission of engendering inclusive electoral engagement among people in the Southwest is gaining traction.
According to him, voting for Tinubu is like voting for oneself and children, noting that, the APC flag bearer is just a nominal beneficiary. “Our mission mainly is to reawaken the phenomenon that is dead among our brothers and sisters. Muslims in the Southwest don’t vote, whereas Muslims in the north always vote.
“So we are here to reawaken their political consciousness that they must vote. You cannot say that Allah will do it. How will Allah do it if you fail to vote, can you blame the person elected that he didn’t remember you? You cannot blame the government because you have not exercised your right and your sovereignty.
“So we are here to enlighten them about their natural responsibility which is constitutional in Nigeria. If the government is by the people, then you choose your leader by your votes.
“I have visited more than 14 of the 16 local governments in Ekiti State as member, Board of Trustees of APC, campaigning and talking to the people. If what we have as at today (January 3, 2023) is anything to go by, we are expecting that Tinubu should have more than 70 per cent of the votes.
“The area that we need to concentrate on, which we are working on now, is the youths who do not know how they got to where they are. In 1999, I was in Lagos State and when you are talking about Area boys, Tinubu settled them. Some of them are in road public work today, while some of them are in LASTMA.
“So if Tinubu chased the area boys out of Lagos, let him come and chase the bandits out of the forests. Whatever he likes, let him do with them. If he likes to make them ministers, I don’t care as long as I have peace.”
Other keynote speakers at the event including the Aare Muslumi, Alhaji Yaqub Olanrewaju Sani, urged the BANG officials to their assignment seriously with determination and hard work.
They urged the BAT Ambassadors at local government level to use wisdom and knowledge, saying that the sensitization should not be reduced to a fight.
“Tinubu is a Yoruba project. Plead with them to be careful not to import what is not Yoruba into the land. This struggle is about the political emancipation of the people at the grassroots.”
In Ogun State, Ekungba said only Tinubu’s presidency would put an end to terrorism, banditry and other security challenges confronting the country.
Speaking in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, at the induction and inauguration of 20 BAT Ambassadors across the local councils of Ogun State last Wednesday, the national coordinator said Tinubu stands a better chance to win the race with the support of people.
Ekungba, a former Governorship aspirant in Ondo State, under the platform of APC expressed confidence in the capacity and leadership qualities of Tinubu to rescue Nigeria from its current challenges.
According to him, if Tinubu could restore sanity in Lagos State during his tenure as the Governor between 1999 – 2007 by ensuring safety of lives and property, he would end banditry and other security challenges in Nigeria.
“Lagos was a very terrible state before 1999 when Tinubu became the Governor. The state was encumbered in a web of problems – insecurity, lawlessness, dirtiness and bad transport system. Street urchins, highway robbers and touts were terrorising the state.
“But, Tinubu came and restored sanity, he drove the street urchins and highway robbers away and got them engaged productively.
“If Tinubu could retake Lagos from insecurity, he can deliver Nigeria from bandits”, Ekungba said.
Speaking on the objectives of the group, Ekungba said, the group was set up to raise awareness on the need for Nigerians, particularly Muslims to participate actively in political activities.
He charged the people of the region to not only go and obtain their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), but also ensure they cast their votes at the polls.
Ekungba said the group was set up to mobilise grassroots people for constructive and inclusive political engagement.
“We didn’t create this forum because of the 2023 elections, but we created it for the future of our children.
“We must intensify our efforts at ensuring that our people, particularly the Muslims are properly educated, inducted and indoctrinated into politics.
“About 70 percent of Muslims in the Southwest are not actively involved in political activities. Please, let us go back to our local government areas, let us persuade our people, let us educate and sensitise them on their political responsibilities.
“There is no local government area in Ogun State that Muslims are not the majority.
“In the next two weeks, let there be demonstrable improvement in the collection of PVCs through our efforts.
“The group is not for our immediate gain, but for the future of our children and the future of all of us. It is not for short term benefits, but for long term gains,” Ekungba said.
