2027: Tinubu Support Organisation may lose 6,320 support groups over alleged exclusion

2026-02-03 - 05:08

By Ndahi Marama, Maiduguri A brewing crisis has erupted in the Tinubu Support Organisation (TSO) as its National Directorate of Concern TSO Pressure Groups, accused the Director-General, Aminu Suleiman of operating a “one-man show,” marked by “greed”, “exclusion”, and “personal ambition”. However, in defense of the DG, the Assistant National Secretary of the TSO, Barr Usman Yakubu, said in a statement titled “rebuttal and disclaimer” that the allegation was not only misleading but a misrepresentation of the views of the members and/or officials of the TSO. In a statement issued by the group and signed by Dr. Aminu Gwandu, which was made available to our Correspondent in Maiduguri on Monday evening posit that, the TSO National Director of Support Groups and Hon. Usman Ali Maitsidau, TSO North- West Zonal Coordinator, allegedly indicated the DG is using the collective strength and visibility of the TSO support groups to advance his personal political interests. “The TSO is a coalition of 6,320 support groups that the organization rode on and won the 2023 elections but were all used and dumped by Aminu Suleiman,” it said. It also alleged that the leader had succeeded in sidelining individuals who invested heavily in the success of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the 2023 elections. According to the group, Sulaiman secured two appointments for himself: one as a Board Member of the North-West Development Commission (NWDC), reportedly facilitated through high-level political connections, and another as Chairman of the Governing Council of the Federal Technical College, Kaena, Nasarawa State. The group also alleged that he unilaterally altered the organizational structure of TSO without consultation with the national leadership, zonal executives, or state and local coordinators. They also rejected claims that Sulaiman funded or sponsored TSO activities during the 2023 election cycle, insisting that members independently financed campaign logistics, including transportation, accommodation, and mobilization efforts, in anticipation of fairness and recognition after victory. The group also questioned his alleged pattern of engaging political sponsors and stakeholders privately, without involving national, zonal, or state leadership structures, describing it as inconsistent with transparent and inclusive leadership. “Ask Aminu Sulaiman, how many times did he call for a national executive meeting during the entire 2023 elections? How many times did he call for a Zonal Executive Meeting during the entire 2023 elections? “How many times did he call for the State Coordinators’ Meeting during the entire 2023 elections?. How many times did he call for the LGA Coordinators’ Meeting? Let him furnish details” the group asked They, however, cautioned that the 2027 elections would demand a more targeted and digitally driven political strategy, stressing that unity, trust, and inclusive leadership would be critical to sustaining grassroots mobilization. They also appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to remember that political victories are achieved through people, not platforms, emphasizing that TSO’s strength lay in the thousands of coordinators and support groups who worked collectively toward the 2023 electoral success. In his response, the Assistant National Secretary of the TSO disowned the pressure group, saying they had never been part of the TSO and there cannot not represent the views of the members. “The TSO remains united, intact, and fully operational worldwide under the able leadership of our amiable and workaholic Director General, Hon. Aminu Suleiman. “All genuine TSO coordinators, members as well as the hundreds of affiliated support groups under the TSO are in constant touch with Hon. Aminu Suleiman and they remain steadfast in promoting the policies and initiatives of the Tinubu-led administration, as well as committed to working selflessly toward his re-election in 2027,” he said. He noted that, contrary to the false allegations, Hon. Aminu Suleiman has been consistently carrying all his states and diaspora coordinators as well as members along. Despite not holding any elective position, he has been working tirelessly for the benefit of TSO members. This is coming barely a day after a group of ex- National Assembly members rejected the endorsement of president Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s second term ambition by a summit of ex-legislators, despite the fact that the party on Monday issued its list of Committee members for preparation of its National Convention.