Kuku declares independent support for Tinubu, cites confidence in Tompolo, says national interest transcends party politics

Former Presidential Adviser on Niger Delta Affairs and former Chairman of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Hon. Kingsley Kemebradigha Kuku, Esq., has declared his support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s leadership and reform agenda, stressing that national interest should transcend party politics. Kuku, who disclosed that his last political affiliation was with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), clarified that he is not a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and is currently off partisan politics. He cited the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway, state police advocacy, tax reforms and local government autonomy as initiatives deserving serious consideration, adding that his participation in the PBAT Door-to-Door events in Akure and Gombe was informed by his independent assessment and confidence in the national judgment of the convener, High Chief Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo

Kuku emphasised that his support for President Tinubu does not preclude constructive criticism or demands for accountability. He also called for equity and justice for the Ijaw Nation and the wider Niger Delta, insisting that the region’s contribution to Nigeria’s wealth should be matched by meaningful investments in infrastructure, environmental restoration, healthcare, education and economic opportunities. He maintained that political independence does not require silence and that supporting policies considered beneficial to national development does not amount to partisan allegiance.

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PRESS STATEMENT

WHY I SUPPORT PRESIDENT TINUBU: INDEPENDENT OF PARTY POLITICS, COMMITTED TO NATIONAL INTEREST

For Immediate Release

I wish to make my position on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the ongoing national conversation about his leadership clear.

I am presently off partisan politics. I am not a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC). My last political party affiliation was with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). However, I believe that support for a President and his policies should not be determined exclusively by party membership. It should be informed by an honest assessment of leadership, courage, national interest and the direction in which the country is being taken.

I believe in the audacity of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. His commitment to the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway, his advocacy for state police, his tax reform agenda, his position on local government autonomy and the wider programme of fundamental reforms before the country demonstrate a willingness to confront difficult national questions. These initiatives deserve serious consideration, constructive engagement and, where merited, public support.

My appearance at the PBAT Door-to-Door Event in Akure, Ondo State, my home state, and in Gombe State yesterday was deliberate. It was principally informed by my confidence in the national judgment of the Convener, High Chief Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo. I hold him in high regard and trust his judgment on matters of national importance. His conviction, combined with my own assessment of President Tinubu’s leadership and reform agenda, is sufficient reason for me to advocate support for the President.

Let me be clear: my position is neither an announcement of a return to partisan politics nor a declaration of membership in the APC. I am acting as an independent Nigerian who believes that where leadership demonstrates courage and a willingness to undertake consequential reforms, such efforts deserve recognition and support. I reserve the right to question government policies, demand accountability and disagree whenever the national interest requires it. Independent judgment and constructive support are not mutually exclusive.

I also believe that support for President Tinubu must be accompanied by a firm insistence on equity and justice for the Ijaw Nation and the wider Niger Delta. Our people have contributed immensely to Nigeria’s wealth and endured profound environmental and developmental challenges. We deserve sustained and commensurate development, including strategic infrastructure, environmental restoration, improved healthcare, education and economic opportunities. My support for the President is entirely consistent with advocating these legitimate interests.

I do not subscribe to the notion that political independence requires silence or that only members of a governing party can acknowledge a President’s courage. Nor should a person’s previous party affiliation prevent them from supporting initiatives they sincerely believe can advance the country.

I am off partisan politics for now. My last party affiliation was the PDP. I am not a member of APC. Nevertheless, I believe in the audacity of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, I recognise the importance of the reforms he is pursuing, and I will advocate support for him on that basis.

My position is guided by independent judgment, confidence in the Convener’s national perspective and a conviction that Nigeria needs courageous leadership capable of translating ambition into meaningful national development.

Signed:

Hon. Kingsley Kemebradigha Kuku, Esq.

Lawyer | Public Affairs Analyst | Former Legislator | Peace and Conflict Resolution Expert

Former Presidential Adviser on Niger Delta Affairs and Chairman, Presidential Amnesty Programme