Bola Tinubu, a national leader of
the All Progressives Congress (APC), has described as untrue, reports that he
is planning to strengthen his presidential ambition by planting his allies in
key positions at the national assembly.
The strategic politician said
those who feel they know his mind better than he does are spreading such
rumours.
Tinubu said he aligned with
President Muhammadu Buhari’s position on the leadership of the national
assembly in other to show support for the president during his second term.
Buhari and the leadership of the
ruling party have endorsed Ahmad Lawan as senate president and Femi
Gbajabiamila as speaker of the house of representatives.
An ally of Tinubu, Gbajabiamila
was elected into the lower legislative chamber of the national assembly during
the second term of the APC leader as governor of Lagos state.
In a statement his media team
issued on his behalf on Sunday, Tinubu said he has no ulterior motive backing
Lawan and Gbajabiamila.
He said his mind, heart and
efforts are focused on making the APC and Buhari in achieving their “shared
vision of a flourishing economy and a prosperous people”.
“We have monitored, with rising
incredulity, the rash of news stories claiming Asiwaju Tinubu is manipulating
the APC nomination process for the national assembly leadership,” the statement
read.
“The stories claim this supposed
manipulation is the first salvo in Asiwaju’s effort to position himself for a
presidential run during the 2023 election cycle. Not only are these reports
utterly false, based as they are in the febrile imaginations of those persons
by whom they are being peddled, they are injurious to President Buhari’s
historic quest to reform Nigeria. It is for this latter reason that we find
cause to speak out where otherwise we would have continued to watch on in
silent amusement.
“The peddlers of these rumors
have arrogated to themselves the preternatural ability to read Asiwaju’s mind
more than he himself can know it. They also seem to have acquired the unique
gift of bending time so that 2023 appears before we even reach the midway point
of 2019. If these people would only enlist their uncanny talents in the service
of the nation instead of in the service of political intrigue and gossip
mongering our country would be much the better.
“This attempt to caricature
Asiwaju as if his words and actions are all aimed at grabbing power will fail
because this portrait distorts the plain truth. While the headlines are
sensational they are also senseless because they are not grounded in fact.
“The rumor-mongers should court
greater discipline and wisdom. As Asiwaju recently said there is no action a
person can take that constitutes a political guarantee as to what may come four
years from now.Moreover, that having allies in the national assembly leadership
positions will greatly enhance someone’s presidential ambitions is a spurious
claim.”
Taking a swipe at Senate
President Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara, speaker of the house of reps, Tinubu
said the APC must do its best to avoid those who would frustrate Buhari in
power.
He said under Saraki and Dogara,
budgets were hijacked while the interest of the party was not duly served.
“As he enters his second term,
President Buhari has stated that he will give the economy special priority. His
goal is to defeat poverty and joblessness while spurring the type of growth and
development that will make Nigeria’s a durable and flourishing economy. These
goals are laudable and necessary to move Nigeria forward. However, the
obstacles before us are vast and complex.
“Just look at the way Saraki,
Dogara and their ilk hijacked the budget process these past four years.
National budgets were delayed and distorted as these actors repeatedly sought
to pad budgets with pet projects that would profit them,” he said.
“Even worse, they cut funds
intended to prosper projects that would have benefitted the average person.
After four years of their antics halting the progress of government, we should
do all we can to prevent a repeat of their malign control of the National
Assembly.
“If we are truly committed to
optimal governance, then we also must be equally committed to ensuring that the
National Assembly leadership be competent and experienced as well as imbued
with a progressive mindset and a desire to work in close cooperation with
executive. This is all Asiwaju has hoped to achieve. There are no ulterior
motives. Everything he has done is in concert with and in furtherance of the
wishes of President Buhari and the party.”
Tinubu warned those who are
against the president to be bold enough to make their stand known rather than
trying to drive a wedge between him and Buhari.
“Thus, those who cast aspersions
at Asiwaju, in reality are bucking against the stated position of the
President,” he said.
“This is a democracy and people
have the right to oppose whomever they wish to oppose. However, if these
mongers oppose the president let them be of sufficient courage to plainly say
so. They should not disparage Asiwaju as an indirect way to contend against the
President.
“What everyone who cares about
Nigeria should now do is rally around the president to give him all possible
support in driving to reality his economic policies and objectives. This is how
we progress as a nation.”
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