&w=64&q=75)
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been told that his second term bid is at risk if he continues to sideline those who fought for his emergence at the seat of power.
This assertion was made by Otunba Segun Sowunmi, a governorship aspirant in Ogun State under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
In a long social media post on X sighted by Pulse, Sowunmi accused President Tinubu of orchestrating Nasir El-Rufai's delisting from becoming a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the persecution of the former Kogi State governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello.
Recall that El-Rufai, while serving as governor of Kaduna State, was one of President Bola Tinubu's poster supporters in the build-up to the 2023 general election.
El-Rufai was regarded as one of those who fought against Northern candidacy for the presidency in the All Progressives Congress.
However, he was delisted from the ministerial nomination list during his clearance process at the Senate.
Reacting to this turn of events, Sowunmi stated that Tinubu's new body language has begun to recreate the notion that the Yoruba race is known for betrayal.
He said, "The Yorubas already carry misconceptions about betrayal, that we don't keep our end of the bargain.
"That we use and dump people.
"That we are cunning around the power play.
"Except Olusegun Obasanjo who as both in and outside power as military and civilian head of state kept his side of the agreement with his partners who got him into power.
"It seems President Bola Tinubu is unmindful of this and the consequences of the same.
He stated further, "Nasir El-Rufai, say what you will about him, he supported Asiwaju fully during the primaries and the general elections. Pray how has he been treated? Same El-Rufai now has a security report that humiliated him during a Senate clearance made up of a majority of Tinubu men!
"What would the world call that but betrayal?"
Tinubu told to retrace his steps or fail in 2027
The PDP chairmanship aspirant also called out President Tinubu for disregarding the persecution of ex-Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, who was declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Sowunmi said, "Now Yahaya Adoza Bello, who practically fought like a madman to give Asiwaju good numbers in Kogi, not to talk of how he funded and ran the youth campaign with vigour and energy to the extent that I was so jealous compared to the disorganized charade of my PDP.
"Same Yahaya Bello who superintend over the membership registration of APC that to date I cannot but remember comparing the bliss and pageantry to the joke that my PDP ran under the Edo emperor."
He urged President Tinubu to retrace his steps while warning him that his second term bid is approaching and his actions now might prove pivotal.
"Do you plan to contest a second term, or do you think your work will be done in one term of just 4 years?
"Shall tomorrow not come? Where are the men of yesterday?
"Will you now break a long-term understanding between Yorubas and the north because you are now acting like you won't respect people who supported you to the max, especially against their bothers Atiku and Kwankwazo?"