Former Ogun State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, has declared his support for President Bola Tinubu’s second-term bid, citing the need to sustain power rotation in Nigeria’s political structure.
Amosun made the declaration at the Ake Pavilion, Abeokuta, during activities marking his 68th birthday celebration, where he stressed that rotational presidency remains in the best interest of the country.
He noted that after eight years of leadership by former President Muhammadu Buhari from the North, it was only fair for power to remain in the South, adding that President Tinubu’s emergence aligns with the principle of equity and balance.
According to him, Tinubu, though a South-West indigene, represents the collective interest of the entire Southern region and Nigeria as a whole.
Amosun urged Nigerians to respect the rotational arrangement, insisting that doing so would promote unity and political stability in the country.
He said, “In the interest of Nigeria, we should observe the rotation. Rotation in the sense that if the North takes the presidency this time, the South will have to take the next time.
“The last president from the North was President Muhammadu Buhari. He did how many years? Eight years. Now, it is the turn of us in the South, and we have in the South President Tinubu.
“He is now representing all of us in Nigeria, primarily, but he’s from where? The South-West, and he’s representing all of us in the South. So indeed, it is for anybody who loves Nigeria to agree that whatever we are doing, we should respect that rotational arrangement.
“And that is why today, just like what I said when we were having our convention that time, that not only in the interest of maybe even Asiwaju now or even any of us, but in the interest of all of us in Nigeria.”
The former governor also spoke on the political structure of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State, highlighting his role alongside former governor Olusegun Osoba as foundational figures of the party in the state.
“So I want to inform all of you, I have read a lot of things, but I want everybody to know if we say A is our A, if we say B it will be B. We told them that we are what we are, and in any case in this Ogun State, how can they talk about APC without talking about Amosun?
“With all respect to all our leaders and our elders, I think probably the only person that will say in this Ogun State when we were forming APC that was in the forefront is Olusegun Osoba. When you take Osoba, who will you take next? It is me, and that is why you do not destroy what you build.”
Amosun further declared his pride in the state’s political heritage and reaffirmed his support for President Tinubu’s re-election bid.
“We’re proud of our heritage, and we won’t let anyone destroy our progress,” he said.
As part of activities marking his 68th birthday, the former governor also visited the Ibara Correctional Centre, Abeokuta, where he donated goods reportedly worth millions of naira to inmates.
