CALABAR — A controversy has erupted within the Cross River chapter of the support group, Relax Tinubu Is Fixing Nigeria (RTIFN), following allegations that a national officer of the organisation, Hon. Shedrach Egede, was sidelined during the group’s state rally held in Calabar over the weekend NEGROIDHAVEN can report.
The development has generated debate among members and supporters of the organisation, with differing accounts emerging over the conduct of the event and the treatment accorded to the National Director of Strategic Deployment and Implementation.
Sources familiar with the matter alleged that Egede, who occupies a strategic national position within the organisation and coordinates grassroots structures across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, was neither officially recognised nor given an opportunity to address participants during the rally despite his reported contribution to the success of the event.
According to the sources, the national officer attended both major activities organised as part of the rally but was allegedly treated as an ordinary observer throughout the programme. The sources further claimed that Egede’s exclusion was deliberate and linked to internal power dynamics within the organisation.
They alleged that the Cross River State Coordinator of RTIFN, Engr. Anjor Obande, viewed the national officer as a potential rival and sought to maintain exclusive influence over the interface between the state chapter and the national leadership.
The controversy is said to have deeper roots in the restructuring of pro-Tinubu support groups ahead of the 2027 political cycle.
A source close to Egede disclosed that he previously served as Director-General of the Tinubu Youth Vanguard Organisation, a support group reportedly founded and supported by Seyi Tinubu, son of President Bola Tinubu.
According to the source, following the establishment of Relax Tinubu Is Fixing Nigeria, Egede was encouraged to collapse the structures of the Tinubu Youth Vanguard into the new platform and was subsequently appointed National Director of Strategic Deployment and Implementation.
The source maintained that the position gave Egede responsibility for coordinating grassroots mobilisation efforts nationwide and represented a significant elevation within the organisation’s hierarchy.
It was further alleged that before Egede’s appointment, the state coordinator served as the principal link between the Cross River chapter and the national leadership.
Supporters of the national officer reportedly believe his emergence in a key national role may have altered existing power arrangements within the organisation in the state.
“The feeling among some of his supporters is that what happened at the rally was an unnecessary display of superiority and control,” the source said.
However, another source familiar with the organisation dismissed the controversy as insignificant. The source, who holds a state-level position with responsibilities relating to media and communication but requested anonymity, described the allegations as “too trivial” to warrant public attention.
According to the source, mature political actors should not be preoccupied with issues of recognition at public events.
Responding to the allegations, the Secretary of RTIFN in Cross River State, Hon. Stanley Nsemo, denied that any national officer was deliberately sidelined during the rally. Nsemo insisted that prominent national leaders who attended the event were duly acknowledged and recognised.
He said if any omission occurred, it was not intentional.
“Nothing of such happened. All the dignitaries and national officers present were recognised. If anybody feels sidelined, it certainly was not deliberate,” he said.
Nsemo added that the event organisers gave recognition to key national officials, including principal members of the organisation’s national leadership.
Drawing an analogy, he argued that not every office holder at a gathering could be individually acknowledged.
“As a House of Assembly member, if you attend an event with the Speaker and the Speaker is recognised, it does not necessarily mean every committee chairman must also be called out. That does not make sense,” he said.
The secretary further noted that he personally relinquished his seat at the high table to accommodate other guests, insisting that the focus of the rally should remain on promoting the achievements of President Bola Tinubu’s administration rather than internal disputes.
As of press time, neither Hon. Shedrach Egede nor Engr. Anjor Obande had issued an official statement directly addressing the allegations.
