By – Memoye Oghu
The Rivers state branch of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Support Vanguards (BATS-V) says it has surpassed its target of mobilizing over 50,000 members in the state to actualize the presidential ambition of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2023.
Chief Tony Okocha, Coordinator of the Tinubu political support group in the state, who made the disclosure in an exclusive interview in Port Harcourt, the state capital over the weekend added that, “BATS-V membership in the state is now more than 200,000 members, surpassing the 50,000 membership target we were given and we’re still going to get more.”
The former Chief of Staff to current Transportation Minister, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi when he was the governor of Rivers state between 2007 – 2015 eulogized the qualities of the former Lagos State governor and the present national leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) saying that, “Tinubu is eminently qualified to govern Nigeria as its president in view of his glorious performance which brought Lagos state to the limelight as the foremost state in the country and Africa as a whole and his large heart to turn things around wherever he puts his hands on.
“This is the man who incubated many leaders in the west and made them whatever they are today irrespective of their states of origin. This is the same man who from nowhere came and rescued us, the then Amaechi camp in the state when PDP was pummeling us right, left and centre in 2014.
“This is also the man who nominated the current Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbanjo to the position, rather than taking it himself because it has been his life ambition to govern Nigeria.
“What I want to say is that Nigeria is bleeding,to borrow the words of Governor Wike. Nigeria is bleeding in all respects. I’m first a Nigerian before any other thing and I feel the pains that ordinary Nigerians do. I don’t know whether you’ve seen poverty. . . So, Nigeria is bleeding and we need somebody who has the strength, we need somebody who will have the courage to know what to do and can do it. Somebody who is not a tribalist, who will not see an Ikwerre man different from the Yoruba man. So, Tinubu is eminently,eminently qualified to rule Nigeria.”
On why he supports the Tinubu presidency rather than that of his former boss an kinsman, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, he said the current Transportation Minister has not made his ambition public and that until when he does that he would assess both aspirants and support whoever in his opinion meets his qualities.
He didn’t rule out the possibility of Tinubu and Magnus Abe seeking the tickets of the proposed mega political party to actualize their respective ambitions, if they fail to clinch the tickets of the ruling APC, but also confirmed that Senator Magnus Abe, factional leader of the APC in the state would gun for the governorship position of the state in 2023.
He further debunked claims that they were no longer members of the state APC for failure to revalidate their membership during the revalidation exercise of the party, asking, “where in the constitution of the country is it stated that revalidation of membership is a criteria for being membership of a political party? Can’t you as an individual now join a political party after its revalidation exercise if you want? Won’t politicians defect to other political parties because of revalidation?”.
