I cannot help but ponder in bewilderment on that article by Niyi Adebayo titled Re-Asiwaju must hear this. First and foremost I'd expected Niyi to start by appreciating the efforts of people supporting the Asiwaju project in whatever little way they can, with the little resources available to them.
It's highly condescending to refer to people who abandon their daily businesses, sponsored themselves to a function, feed themselves and most of them from outside Abuja even accommodated themselves just for the love of Asiwaju as having no electoral value and only representing themselves. I wonder what yardstick Niyi used to measure the ability or lack of it of those support groups.
I expect Niyi to tender an unreserved apology to the over 1200 support group leaders who converge at the PCC yesterday to show support to Asiwaju and to the renewed hope project. Its is unbecoming, uncultured and highly uncivilized. If Niyi has any issue with the said directorate as it appears he do let him say so and be a man to fight his battles alone without denigrating us in his campaign of calumny.
Secondly Niyi Adeniyi's accusations are not only lacking in substance but empty and self contradictory in the sense that Niyi described those support groups present yesterday as " Large percentage of those in PCC today are not there on merit but by backdoor opportunity, which is not about what you have done for Asiwaju-2023 either before or after the primary election, but more about who you know at PCC office."
He further alleges that " we have reached a stage whereby people with kangaroo groups are making list just bcos they know person at the PCC not bcos (sic) they have people on ground or any credible thing to contribute to the grassroot."
From the above it can be inferred that Niyi is explicitly telling everyone that cares to listen that majority of us in that hall were simply there because we know one or two person at the PCC. But one good thing about a lie is you often forget the first lie only to demolish the it by yet another lie. Let me give you an example, in another paragraph Niyi forgetting the first accusation he contradicted himself thus " Tosin Adeyanju is seeing every voices asking for fair inclusion as personal vendetta. He talk to D.G and National Coordinators as He pleases..." Haba Mr Niyi same D.Gs you earlier described as Mr Tosin's cronies?
It is apparent that Mr Niyi Adebayo is on a personal vendetta and a mission of character assassination against Tosin Adeyanju, he was so eager to tarnish Mr Tosin's image and hard earned reputation to the extent of contradicting himself in the process.
SETTING THE RECORDS STRAIGHT.
We were all aware that some 5-6 weeks ago the directorate of grassroot mobilization sent a notice for the need of support groups domiciled in the North Central region of the country to converge in fixed locations in their respective states in oder to undergo a screening exercise. Support group leaders converged with the required documents and screening was done in a conducive free and fair environment of which we were all witness to.
It was on the basis of that ezercise that lists of active support groups was reached and it was same list that was published as a PDF online for members to verify their groups before the date of the successful training that Mr Niyi Adebayo is trying so hard to undermine.
MISTAKES WERE MADE.
Of course as humans mistakes were made, for example my group Tinubu Media Team which undoubtedly is the first support group for the propagation of the Asiwaju project ( I have documented evidence to prove this) was omitted due to a reasons I don't know, and I reach out to Mr Tosin and letter sent a representative to the campaign office at wuse 2 with documents proving that we have participated in the screening exercise there and then my group was added to the data base apology tendered to us and the rest was history.
I can also remember as many of us did during the opening remark of the director of support groups monitoring he made mention that we have over 2000 support groups that undergoes the screening exercise weeks ago, yet the capacity of the hall were the training was taking place yesterday is just barely 1000 capacity thus a large percentage of groups will not be able to attend due to one reason or another, he categorically stated that it was the duty of the directorate and the support group leaders present to make sure those groups were not left out. It means the directorate is fully aware and is making efforts to integrate other support groups left out due to one reason or another.
PERSONAL VENDETTA INTENDED.
It is apparent that Mr Niyi is out on a personal vendetta against the person of Adeyanju Tosin. But in the popular words of the famous reggae artist Robert Nesta Marley "who Jah bless no man curse".
Mr Tosin Adeyanju has been very helpful, very supportive of this Asiwaju project, Tosin was every where from the very beginning even when those who claim to be more batified than Asiwaju himself were busy marketing Osibanjo and or Ahmed Lawal, Tosin was there, dogged, loyal and committed.
It is my firm believe that Mr Tosin Adeyanju deserves our commendations not condemnations. He has done well he is doing well and will continue to well in sha Allah.
Mohammed Bello Doka is the National Coordinator Tinubu Media Team 2023.