Tinubu Receives Unanimous Backing from Buhari, Jonathan, Governors

Broad support for Tinubu as Buhari, Jonathan, Governors endorse him...

President Bola Tinubu's administration receives unanimous vote of confidence from Council of State, discusses economic progress, security, and recent protests, reaffirming commitment to democracy and stability.

President Bola Tinubu's administration has received a resounding vote of confidence from a broad spectrum of Nigerian leaders. This endorsement came from a meeting of the Council of State, attended by former presidents Muhammadu Buhari and Goodluck Jonathan, who were present in person, as well as other former presidents who joined virtually.

According to Dele Alake, Minister of Solid Minerals Development, the Council of State meeting in Abuja concluded with a unanimous expression of support for President Tinubu's administration. This show of confidence was echoed by governors in attendance, further solidifying the president's mandate to lead the nation forward.

“A lot of issues were exhaustively discussed at the meeting, and the governors were all in attendance as well as some ministers who were invited to make presentations,” Alake said.

“We made presentations on our road map, on what we've been able to achieve, the prospects and the challenges in our various ministries. At the end, we all passed a vote of confidence in President Tinubu.”

Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, revealed that a select group of ministers were invited to present to the Council of State. These included the Ministers of Solid Minerals, Finance, and key coordinating ministers overseeing the economy, trade, investment, budget, national planning, agriculture, works, and the Attorney General.

According to Alake, the presentations made by each minister were highly successful, garnering positive feedback from the Council. The individual briefings were well-received, indicating a productive and informative session for the esteemed gathering of Nigerian leaders.

Minister Alake further disclosed that the Council of State also deliberated on the recent nationwide protests, characterizing them as an attempt to forcibly overthrow the government and alter the constitutional order.

“And so the Council thanked Nigerians at large for resisting an unconstitutional move to change the government. If anybody is not satisfied with any government, there's an election coming. So, wait for the election,” he said.

National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu provided the Council of State with a comprehensive briefing on the current security situation in Nigeria, according to Minister of Solid Minerals Development Dele Alake.

“We were assured that nobody will be allowed to truncate our hard-earned democracy.

“Any change of government has to be through the ballot, and not through the barrel of the gun, or through insurrection, or through any other unconstitutional means.

“We were reassured on the readiness of all security agencies in the country to secure our territorial integrity and to protect Nigeria's democracy,” said Alake.

Kwara State Governor Abdul Rahman Abdul Razaq, who also serves as the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors' Forum (NGF), revealed that a key outcome of the Council of State meeting was a unanimous vote of confidence in President Bola Tinubu's administration.

“Members, especially those of the Nigeria Governors' Forum, were satisfied with the presentation by the members of the Federal Executive Council,” the governor said.

“Members of the NGF also, like the members of the Council of State, passed a vote of confidence in Mr President.”

Nigeria's Minister of Finance and Economic Coordinator, Wale Edun, briefed the Council of State on the latest developments and achievements of the Tinubu administration's macroeconomic policy initiatives, highlighting the progress made so far.

“These policies are anchored on eight priority areas, and the results to date have been very encouraging,” he noted.

“We looked at the data, we reported on the evidence of this half year, which we compared to the first quarter and the second quarter of 2023.

“And in broad terms, the economy is growing. The balance of payments in particular, the trade balance and the currency balance are in surplus.

“The exchange rate is stabilising, and inflation is not uncomfortably high. It is slowing and it is set to fall.”

Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, disclosed that he provided the Council of State with a comprehensive update on the current status and progress of the Tinubu administration's macroeconomic policies and initiatives.

“So, we reported that we will ensure that the interventions and the measures to ameliorate the high cost of living for individuals, for the agricultural sector, for industry, for small-scale businesses will continue to be implemented.

 “On that basis, we reported an optimistic outlook for the Nigerian economy and the Nigerian society in general,” said Mr Edun.