APC Presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has dismissed notions of a rift between him and the country’s leaders, President Muhammadu Buhari, after his comments during the party’s rally in Ogun state sent the rumor mill into overdrive.
Whilst speaking at the rally in Abeokuta on Wednesday, Tinubu blamed the fuel scarcity experienced in the country and the controversy surrounding the redesign of the naira and its availability to most Nigerians days to the set deadline by the CBN on saboteurs working to block his victory.
He alleged that the fuel scarcity, which has complicated mobility in parts of the country, was as a result of deliberate hoarding of the product by some actors with the malicious aim of causing a disaffection between the populace and the ruling party.
His claim has been corroborated by players in the oil and gas sector who affirmed the supply of products to stations across the country and expressed dismay at the price hike and refusal of some petrol stations to sell the product.
Similarly, the Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN) has also alleged foul play, urging the president to act to prevent deliberate attempts to set the people against the government and the ruling party just weeks before the election.
The opposition party sought to gain advantage with claims that Tinubu’s comment was indicative of a rift between him and the president. But that has been dismissed Bayo Onanuga, the Director, Media and Publicity, APC Presidential Campaign Council, who reiterated in a Thursday statement that the candidate’s remarks were not directed at the president but at unpatriotic actors likely working in cahoots with the PDP to reverse the country’s progress in search of political advantage.
“When the guilty are afraid of being uncovered, they try to push back with red-herring,” he said.
“For the records, Asiwaju Tinubu during APC campaign rally at Abeokuta on Wednesday, in his statement, did not mention, blame or accuse President Muhammadu Buhari for the current challenges in the country.”
“Asiwaju Tinubu was only adverting government’s attention to the sabotage being carried out by some Fifth Columnists in the system, possibly working in cahoots with the PDP.”
“The CBN officials, including Governor Godwin Emefiele have said many times that enough new Naira notes have been supplied to the banks, yet our people complain that they have not been able to get the new notes.”
“In recent days, many ATMs are either not working or when working they are dispensing the old notes, just a few days to the January 31 deadline.”
“Similarly, Asiwaju Tinubu is aware of the salutary efforts by President Buhari to end the fuel queues, by chairing a 14-man panel. Yet the queues and agony continue.”
“For a presidential candidate, who cares about the suffering of our people, he has a duty to warn government that its efforts to make life better for Nigerians are being sabotaged on several fronts.”
“Our presidential candidate only re-echoed what is well known and acknowledged, even by President Buhari himself at different fora: That there are Fifth Columnists in and outside of government who often throw spanners in the works against good intentions and programmes of the government.”
“How does an advisory genuinely made by Asiwaju Tinubu to protect and create goodwill for the government of his party become an attack? It can only be so in the jaundiced view of the PDP.”
“It is in this light we found amusing the directionless Atiku Campaign’s bagful of mischief in their hurriedly put together press statement meant to gain shameful mileage from the suffering of Nigerians.”
“PDP and Atiku should remember not to get high on their own smoke. No political blackmail and an attempt to create a conflict between Tinubu and his long-term ally, President Muhammadu Buhari can succeed.
“We have bad news for Atiku and his handlers: their latest mischief is therefore doomed to fail.”
“The Atiku rudderless campaign, always seeking cheap shots and easy ways has again woefully attempted to make a mountain out of a molehill from the comments made by Asiwaju Tinubu in Abeokuta.”
“As a patriotic and compassionate leader, Asiwaju Tinubu will not stomach seeing ordinary Nigerians being made to face excessive difficulties over mundane issues due to activities of petrol and currency hoarders.”