…Says: I will continue to campaign for Tinubu
President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday openly endorsed Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the ‘next president of Nigeria, amid alleged frosty relationship between him and his party’s presidential flagbearer which had been perceived as capable of derailing his presidential ambition.
President Buhari assured the All Progressives Congress (APC) party supporters that he will continue to campaign for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the ‘next president of Nigeria,’ according to report post on Facebook on Saturday by Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media & Publicity).
The President spoke before a mammoth crowd at the presidential campaign rally in Lafia square, where he endorsed the candidature of the Presidential candidate, Tinubu, his running mate, Kashim Shettima and the second-term bid of Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State.
He thanked party supporters for defying the hot weather and standing in the sun for hours to express their support for the party’s flag bearers in the forthcoming presidential and gubernatorial elections.
‘‘I congratulate and assure you that God willing we are going to win through and through. As Tinubu said in his speech, I have known him for more than 20 years, and I will continue to campaign for Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He is a committed Nigerian and I believe he will give all his best to Nigeria.
‘‘Also vote for Abdullahi Sule for a second and final term as governor’’ he said.
The APC presidential candidate thanked the President for being the ‘‘poster boy’’ of his campaign, fighting and working hard for the survival of Nigeria.
‘‘Nigeria is surviving as a nation. Because of constitutional democracy we would have asked you to continue, but you said no, you are going back to Daura, your hometown’’ he said.
Tinubu also used the occasion to chide those insinuating that he is having a frosty relationship with the President, saying:
‘‘Those who think there are cracks in our friendship and relationship would continue to be disappointed and have their short-term joy limited. Ours is not about the individual but about nation building, honesty, integrity and character,’’ he said.
The APC presidential candidate, who compared President Buhari to great and courageous leaders like Abraham Lincoln, praised him for remaining focused in the midst of distractions.
He promised that under his presidency, Nigeria will recover from all challenges because of the courage and resilience of its citizens.
Tinubu added that his administration would prioritize agriculture, build the nation’s mineral resources and create wealth for Nigerians.
‘‘We will work hard. We promise you that your children and grandchildren will have no regret about this nation and ourselves,’’ he said.
Echoes of frosty relationship between the President and Tinubu had surfaced in different media outings in recent weeks, with Tinubu alleging that the new naira redesign policy of the Central Bank and petrol scarcity were a ploy to derail his campaign.
Then came the bombshell when Nasir El-Rufai, the Kaduna State Governor, on Wednesday revealed that some people in Aso Rock Villa were working to frustrate the victory of All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, during this month’s election.
He said, “I believe there are elements in the Villa that want us to lose the election because they didn’t get their way; they had their candidate. Their candidate did not win the primaries,” El-Rufai said while featuring on Channels TV’s Sunrise Daily, monitored by the PUNCH.
The governor explained that those working against Tinubu’s victory were those whose the APC presidential flagbearer defeated their candidates during the party’s presidential primary election.
“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. I will give two examples: this petroleum subsidy, which is costing the country trillions of Naira, was something that we all agreed would be removed.
“In fact, I had a discussion with the president and showed him why it had to go. Because how can you have a capital budget of N200b for federal roads and then spend N2 Trillion on petroleum subsidy? This was a conversation I had with the president in 2021 when the subsidy thing started rising. He was convinced. We left. It changed. Everyone in the government agreed, and it changed.
“The second example I will give is this currency redesign. You have to understand the president. People are blaming the Governor of the Central Bank for the currency redesign, but No. You have to go back and look at the first outing of Buhari as president.
“He did this; the Buhari, Idiagbon regime changed our currency and did it in secrecy with a view to catching those that are stashing away illicit funds. It is a very good intention. The president has his right. But doing it at this time within the allotted time does not make any political or economic sense.”
But in a swift reaction to, the Federal Government debunked insinuations that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration and a cabal in the Presidency is working to sabotage the electoral chances of Tinubu in the February 25 presidential election in a report published by the Guardian last Thursday.
Briefing newsmen after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in the State House, yesterday, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, who had kept sealed lips after last week’s outbursts by Tinubu, affirmed that President Buhari was committed to ensuring free and fair election, adding, “If there’s anybody working against a candidate we don’t know officially.”
According to him, the leader of the administration, who is also the leader of the ruling party, is more concerned with seeing the elections being credible, and not tilted in favour of any particular candidate or against anyone.
Mohammed said: “On a more serious note, one thing I can assure you is that no matter what, this administration is focused and determined to ensure a 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 deeds that he is committed to free, fair and credible election.
And fair, free, credible elections actually means not favouring anybody or disadvantaging anybody. And everywhere he (Buhari) goes, he makes that very clear, even as recently as last Friday, when he was in Daura, he said the same thing.”
