Cracks Widen In APC Over Tinubu
Cracks appear to be widening on the walls of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) over its presidential standard-bearer, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Barely a week after he raised the alarm over an alleged plot to sabotage him in the forthcoming election, Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State and staunch supporter of Tinubu on Wednesday re-echoed a similar position, saying elements within the presidency were working against the presidential ambition of the former Lagos State governor.
Daily Trust recalled that while addressing a campaign rally at the Moshood Abiola International Stadium, Abeokuta, Ogun State, recently, Tinubu alleged that some interests were against the elections as scheduled.
He specifically said the scarcity of fuel being experienced across the country and the redesign of the naira, the Nigerian currency, were part of the plot to sabotage him at the polls……………….CONTINUE READING
“They are trying to get us to lose the election, and they are hiding behind the president’s desire to do what he thinks is right,” he said.
Aisha, wife of the president yesterday backed El-Rufa’i over his claim that some elements in the presidency are plotting to sabotage Tinubu’s victory.
The first lady, who wields great influence in the Villa, voiced her support for El-Rufai when she shared a clip of the interview containing the governor’s main allegation against the saboteurs who are non-members of the party and are exploiting the president’s goodwill for their selfish ends.
El-Rufai’s comment won’t affect Tinubu’s chances – APC
The Director of Strategic Communications of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, Dele Alake told Daily Trust that El-Rufai’s statement has no effect on the chances of the party’s presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Alake said the most important person in the Villa is President Muhammadu Buhari, who he said was very much in support of Tinubu and his emergence as his successor on May 29.
He said, “The statement is self-explanatory. He said some people; he never said the president.
“In your individual media houses, you have an editorial policy and there are elements within your organisations that don’t agree with those policies but they still work there.
“So it is a natural phenomenon in all organisations, in all institutions. Not all staff in organisations see issues the same way.
“The most important person is the president and Commander-in-Chief. He has spoken often and he said Tinubu is his candidate and he has appealed that we should vote for him who is coming to consolidate his achievements and address whatever challenges that would be left because he has the managerial competence, he has the intellectual acumen, he has an outstanding record of experience and performance.
Mr. President is not in charge!”
Reacting, a renowned political scientist, Professor Kamilu Sani Fage of Bayero University, Kano (BUK) said the utterance from the Kaduna state governor is not strange as it is “part of Nigeria’s party politics which is devoid of any clear-cut ideologies separating the parties. Therefore, you have these 5th columnists in every part that as losers tend to sabotage and go about with the mentality of ‘if I can’t get it, no one else should.”
He said what is happening in the ruling party is similar to the face-off between Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the PDP and the G-5 governors led by Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike.
He also likened the development to a similar crisis within the then Action Group (AG) that led to the collapse of the First Republic and also a similar crisis in the then Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) in the Second Republic.
“This does not augur well for democracy. It is undemocratic and positions like this (sabotaging one’s party) is a short-sighted approach because if your party loses, the opposition will give all of you tough times,” he added.
Buhari not supporting anybody – Lai
Contacted, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, simply replied: “You want to know the names? Wouldn’t it be better for you to ask the governor?”
However, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, while reacting to El-Rufai’s statement, said officially, the government was not aware of anyone within the Presidential Villa engaging in such action.
He said the government had been fair to all candidates regardless of party affiliation and that President Muhammadu Buhari had consistently demonstrated that he was for free, fair and credible elections.
The minister, who was asked to react after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, said: “On a more serious note, one thing I can assure you is that no matter what, this administration is focused, determined to ensure free and fair elections. But I think with this administration, the most important person is Mr. President and I think he has shown by words and by deeds that he is dedicated to free, fair and credible elections.
“Fair, free, credible elections means not backing anybody. And everywhere he goes, he makes that very clear even as recently as Friday when he was in Daura, he said the same thing. If there’s anybody working against a candidate, we don’t know officially.”
