NATIONAL Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Bola Tinubu is the man to beat at the party’s presidential primary election coming up in Abuja on Monday, his campaign organisation boasted on Friday.
The Tinubu Campaign Organisation made the boast while reacting to criticisms trailing its principal’s outburst in Ogun State on Thursday.
Tinubu had said he brought President Muhammadu Buhari out of political retirement and installed him as President while addressing delegates in the state.
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He also said he forfeited his ‘right’ by making Vice President Yemi Osinbajo replace him after Buhari had chosen him as a running mate.
At the meeting where he sought delegates’ votes at the APC primary holding in Abuja on Monday, he said he single-handedly made the Dapo Abiodun the state governor.
In a statement released on Friday by signed by Director, Media and Communications Bayo Onanuga, the campaign group noted that what Tinubu said was not new as it was already in the public domain.
The statement titled: “APC Presidential Primaries: Erroneous Interpretation of Asiwaju’s Pleas For Level Playing Field” said interpretations given to what Tinubu said were erroneous, misleading and mischievous.”
The group said it was least surprised that Tinubu was the target of “well-calculated and most unkind virulent attacks.”
Tinubu meant to say that his ‘huge’ contributions to the formation and electoral success of the APC should count in his favour as a “true party man” who desires to be the flagbearer, the campaign team said.
“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.”
The group also frowned at the position taken by former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal.
Lawal had said Tinubu was not solely responsible for Buhari’s emergence as president in 2015.
“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 has 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. ”
The ICIR had reported that the APC presidential screening committee disqualified 10 of the 23 aspirants for the presidency.
It is not clear at the time of filing this report if Tinubu was among those kicked out by the committee.
This newspaper had earlier reported that President Buhari might announce his preferred successor and the APC flagbearer this weekend after he returned from a three-day official trip to Spain on Friday.
Marcus bears the light, and he beams it everywhere. He's a good governance and decent society advocate. He's The ICIR Reporter of the Year 2022 and has been the organisation's News Editor since September 2023. Contact him via email @ [email protected]
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