Ahead of the 2027 general elections, Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of Sports (NIS), Hon. Philip Shaibu, has called on Nigerians to rally behind President Bola Tinubu for a second term, describing him as the only leader capable of consolidating the “solid foundation” already laid for the country.
Shaibu, who made the appeal during a visit to the headquarters of the Tinubu Support Group (TSG) in Abuja at the weekend, dismissed opposition figures forming coalitions as “characters” responsible for the nation’s economic woes.
“The foundation of our nation was already broken, one man came and said we must strengthen the foundation. Have you wondered why they are fighting Tinubu? It is because of the foundation,” he said.
According to the former deputy governor of Edo State, Nigerians must reject any coalition that brings together those who “looted the economy” in the past. He urged the TSG to form its own coalition to champion President Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.
“We have seen it today that those characters that led to the situation the President is fixing now are now gathering in the name of coalition, so the message now is that the TSG should go and form a coalition for the President re-election in 2027 because we have all seen that just in two years, the foundation of the country is solidified again and we are now talking about building on it.
“So, the only person that can build on the solid foundation that he has laid is the president himself. We should go back to all our states, all our wards, our units to start educating the rural people, the urban people on what the President has done in two years,” Shaibu said.
He also took a swipe at opposition leaders, insisting that many of them had held powerful positions in the past without meaningful results.
“One of them said he is hungry; he didn’t know when he voiced it out. Someone that was a minister in a good ministry and governor for eight years,” he stated.
Shaibu maintained that Tinubu’s administration is rebuilding key sectors and stabilizing the economy, pointing to growing confidence among international institutions.
“Every sector you enter, the man is building renewed hope. Asiwaju is helping us build the future. These characters know because they know it’s not business as usual. The first four years is building the foundation. You can’t build a skyscraper on a faulty foundation.
“The statistics are adding up now, look at our foreign reserve that was depleted, the economy is bouncing back. The leader of a critical organization in the world, WTO (World Trade Organization), Director General, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has made her own comment, World Bank and others are making their own statement on the stability of the country. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has stabilized the country,” he added.
Shaibu further promised to carry out a shake-up in the NIS to reposition the institute in line with the mandate given to him by the President.
Also speaking, TSG Director-General, Umar Tanko Yakassai, echoed Shaibu’s sentiments, dismissing the opposition coalition as a platform for “desperate politicians” bent on returning to power.
“Coalition is a pack of bags, it’s the coalition of people who want to take over and continue looting. We know most of them since we were kids, all of them have been in government,” Yakassai said.
He praised Tinubu’s record in office, comparing it favorably with past administrations.
“Someone spent eight years in Aso Rock and has not done what Tinubu has done in two years,” he stated.
