Samoa agreement: Tinubu's top aide opens up on North 'being against president'

Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering Nigeria's governance, politics, and elections.

FCT, Abuja - After some northern clerics criticised the Bola Tinubu-led administration following the FG’s decision to sign the controversial Samoa agreement which the religious leaders thought encouraged LGBTQ, Dada Olusegun, Tinubu’s special assistant on social media, spoke out on Saturday, July 6.

Quoting a tweet, Olusegun noted via his verified handle that some “mischievous” individuals are pushing the claim that the north is against the president and would not vote for him in the 2027 general election.

But the All Progressives Congress (APC) member disagreed, insisting that the Nigerian leader still has a strong support from the crucial northern region.

Olusegun wrote:

“Please let us resist the urge in generalising opinions. The north is not against PBAT.“Certain mischievous elements who are supporters of the Alhaji Koojoli we beat in the last elections are in the minority. Majority of the north picked PBAT over him in 2023. They'll do so again!”

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In the same vein, Gimba Kakanda, the special assistant to the president (research and analytics), warned political actors to desist from provocation.

He warned Abdul Rasheed Shehu, the special assistant on media to the Nigerian opposition leader, Atiku Abubakar, to stop amplifying the "lie" that the Samoa agreement contained LGBTQ clauses.

Kakanda wrote on his verified X (formerly Twitter) page:

"You are not looking in the right mirror, Yallabai. You too have discarded your education, comprehension, and sensitivity to national security because of 2027, unaware that this lie can provoke a crisis in which you and your kith and kin are just as vulnerable to attack."This crisis can disrupt the very country you intend to govern, yet you are amplifying the lie, ignoring the consequences."I hope you live to govern the ashes that will settle if you succeed."

No LGBTQ clauses in new Samoa agreement

Meanwhile, a fact-check report by Premium Times has shown that the new Samoa agreement signed by Nigeria does not contain LGBTQ clauses.

LGBTQ, which stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer, is banned in Nigeria.

People who enter into a same-sex marriage contract or civil union commit an offence and are each liable on conviction to a term of 14 years in jail for such relationships.

Contrary to what was reported in sections of the media, there are no LGBT clauses in the new Samoa agreement recently.

The Daily Trust report did not present any clause in the agreement that mandates LGBT rights.

PDP chieftain predicts Tinubu's loss in 2027

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Abdul-Aziz Na'ibi Abubakar, a chieftain of the People's Democratic Party (PDP), said President Tinubu will not get northern votes in the 2027 election.

Abubakar expressed doubt that the southwest geopolitical zone alone can make Tinubu a two-term president.

Source: Legit.ng