Former Governor of Lagos state and presidential aspirant of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu has clarified his earlier claim of making Muhammadu Buhari President in 2015. Reacting to the backlash that trailed his speech to the party’s delegates in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, on Thursday June 2, Tinubu claimed his speech at Abeokuta was misrepresented by his opponents to present a narrative that will make President Muhammadu Buhari work against his aspiration. The former Lagos state Governor who also vowed to accept the outcome of the party’s presidential primary scheduled for June 6-8 in Abuja, insisted that he was addressing the unwarranted attacks against his person that have been part of the campaign of other presidential aspirants. Tinubu also said that the presidency should not be given as a favour to someone who is unqualified nor should people be motivated by personal reasons to prevent the most qualified person from attaining the office. He said in a statement; “Let me also erase any doubt. My respect and regard for President Buhari as Commander-in-Chief of this nation and as a person are high and unfailing. I shall never denigrate him. I certainly did not do so in Abeokuta. We have been political partners for a long time and I hope that partnership continues well into the future. I would do nothing to jeopardize it.“I believe our party is the best hope for the nation to right itself. I believe I have a future role larger than the one I now have. I also believe President Buhari has a continuing and important role to play even after his tenure as president is over.“There are many who had no role in the birth of the APC and in its many victories. Now that the party has climbed the political summit, they want to claim credit for something they had no part in. However, this cannot be said of President Buhari. I am proud of my role in the advent of the APC and its electoral successes. But President Buhari, of course, stands as the main driver of this success. He was elected president twice. He has borne the weight of national governance for seven years. Nothing can rival that. I would not dare belittle what he has done and what he has meant to the party and nation.“I make no apologies for seeking the party’s nomination. I believe I have something important to offer Nigeria that the other aspirants do not have, although I see them as good and committed Nigerians in their own right. While I want this office, there are certain things I will not do and certain lines I shall not cross. I shall never belittle myself by denigrating the president or his office. I dare not seek an office and disrespect it at the same time.“The wellbeing of over 200 million souls is at stake. Let us all realise this and act accordingly, I only desire a level-playing ground for all aspirants and an adherence to stipulated rules and due process. If in the fairness of such a process, I do not emerge as the party’s candidate, I shall have no complaints regarding an honest primary and will accept the fair outcome as a true democrat.” His campaign organization also released a statement, claiming that his comments were twisted by the opposition in the APC to discredit him. The statement read; “The attention of the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu Presidential Campaign Organisation has been drawn to the erroneous, misleading and mischievous interpretation of his address in Abeokuta, capital of Ogun State on Thursday.“It is on record that the leading presidential aspirant in the forthcoming primary of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, addressed the national delegates of the party in Ogun State, with Governor Dapo Abiodun in attendance.“In his effort to convince the party delegates to vote for him at the primary, he went down memory lane to provide specific instances when he brought his political clout and strategic skills to assist individuals, groups and tendencies in the party to gain political power.“These factual references are already in the public realm. They have been reported and analysed in the media in the last eight years. They are, therefore, matters of public knowledge.” Tinubu’s campaign Media & Communications Director, Bayo Onanuga in the statement released on Friday June 3, also dismissed claim of their principal speaking on tribal lines when he spoke in Abeokuta. The statement added; “While we recognise that recent unexpected interventions in the timetable and the heat generated by the proximity of the event might have led to some anxiety, this campaign organisation believes that the main thrust of Asiwaju’s presentation was that, his huge contributions to the formation and electoral success of the All Progressives Congress should count in his favour as a true party man who desires to be the flag bearer.“There is also no doubt that the fresh conditions proposed by President Muhammadu Buhari for the consideration of a presidential candidate of the party made it necessary for Asiwaju to labour to convince the delegates that he fits the bill.“The campaign was surprised at the way the opposition and Tinubu’s traducers had turned his statement to give an interpretation Tinubu did not mean and did not say.“At no time did Tinubu play any ethnic card or denigrate any ethnic group. That is surely out of his character, as Engineer David Babachir Lawal, attested in his viral WhatsApp statement.“Tinubu’s speech in Abeokuta did not demonstrate any disrespect to President Buhari, for whom he has very high regard, and whose re-election campaign he chaired in 2019.“Since the video of the speech he delivered in Yoruba hit the social media, varied interpretations have been given to the speech, which in the main was about Governor Abiodun, who in the true tradition of Yoruba culture bowed to his leader after Tinubu’s short speech.“The Tinubu campaign is not surprised why the opposition in the APC have decided to turn and twist the statement.“The former Lagos governor, a great party man remains the man to beat at the party’s convention on Monday.“We are least surprised that he is the target of well-calculated and most unkind virulent attacks“The campaign organisation hereby appeals to the media to avoid over-sensationalising issues of facts and play its constitutional role of informing the electorate to make informed choices at the presidential primary.”The post There are many who had no role in the birth of the APC and in its many victories – Tinubu and his campaign organization react to controversy that trailed claim of making Buhari President appeared first on Linda Ikeji Blog.
