Kanu Nwankwo, Asari Dokubo Explain Why They Support Tinubu’s 2027 Re-election
E-ISSN: 2354-4481
By Nnanna Wisdom
Former Nigerian international footballer, Nwankwo Kanu, and Niger Delta activist Asari Dokubo have separately cited personal experiences with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as reasons for their continued support for his political ambition.
Kanu, popularly known as “Papilo,” said Tinubu assisted him with medical expenses at a critical period in his life, including an open-heart surgery, after several people he approached for help allegedly turned him down.
The former Arsenal and Super Eagles star reportedly made the disclosure while explaining why he has continued to support Tinubu, including during the 2023 presidential election and the ongoing campaign for his re-election in 2027.
“President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu paid for my open heart surgery when all the people I approached for assistance shut their doors to my face, including my own Igbo people,” Kanu was quoted as saying.
He added that he had previously kept the experience private but decided to speak about it because questions had been raised over his support for Tinubu.
Kanu's history with heart disease is well documented. The former African Footballer of the Year was diagnosed with a heart defect shortly after Nigeria's historic 1996 Olympic football triumph and underwent successful heart surgery in Cleveland, Ohio, in the United States. His experience later inspired him to establish the Kanu Heart Foundation in 2000 to assist Nigerians and other Africans suffering from heart-related conditions.
Meanwhile, Dokubo, a prominent Niger Delta activist and former president of the Ijaw Youth Council, has also recalled what he described as Tinubu's personal support for him and his family during a difficult period.
Dokubo said Tinubu assisted his children with school fees while he was in prison and provided housing support for members of his family.
“When I was in prison, Tinubu was so kind to me; he paid my children’s school fees. He gave me a house at VGC. He gave my wife a house at Ogba,” he said.
The claim is not new. Similar remarks attributed to Dokubo were publicly reported in 2022, when he declared his support for Tinubu ahead of the 2023 presidential election.
Dokubo, whose political activism has been closely associated with the Niger Delta and Ijaw struggle, later renewed his support for Tinubu's 2027 re-election bid, saying the President had stood by him during what he described as his most difficult period and that it was now his turn to reciprocate the support.
The two accounts have therefore added a personal dimension to the political support being expressed for Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
While Kanu's comments centre on his reported medical assistance, Dokubo's account focuses on support allegedly extended to him and his family during his period in detention.
The statements are also likely to fuel further debate over the motivations behind prominent personalities' political endorsements as preparations for the 2027 elections intensify.
