NATIONAL Leader and presidential aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said his comments while addressing party members in Ogun State on Thursday have been grossly misinterpreted.

Tinubu spoke in a statement he personally signed, which was made available to journalists on Saturday.

He however noted that the misrepresentations may have been innocent since he made the comments in Yoruba language.

“There have been gross misinterpretations in some sections of the media regarding comments I made on Thursday in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital. To a degree, the erroneous interpretations may be somewhat innocent, given that I spoke in Yoruba.

“Those who do not understand the nuances of this richly-layered and subtle language may have inadvertently, yet erroneously, missed the true meaning of what I said while attempting to translate my statement.”

Tinubu said in the statement that his respect for Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari was unwavering and he had no intentions to jeopardise their relationship.

“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 our partnership continues well into the future. I would do nothing to jeopardise it. I believe our party is the best hope for the nation to right itself,” he said.

In Ogun state on Thursday, Tinubu had said at a public gathering of APC members that Buhari and Vice-President Osinbajo would never have attained power without his support.

“If not me that led the war front, Buhari would not have emerged. He contested first, second and third times, but lost. He even wept on television, declaring that he would not contest again,” he said on Thursday.

He also insisted it is his turn to become Nigeria’s President.

“Since he (Buhari) has emerged, I have not been appointed minister. I didn’t get a contract. This time, it’s the Yoruba’s turn and in Yorubaland, it’s my tenure,” Tinubu stressed.

Ijeoma OPARA

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Ijeoma Opara is a journalist with The ICIR. Reach her via [email protected] or @ije_le on Twitter.