FORMER Secretary to the Government of the Federation Babachir David Lawal has said former Lagos State governor Bola Tinubu was not the only person that supported President Muhammadu Buhari to win the 2023 presidential election.
Lawal, who spoke in a statement he personally signed, was reacting to Tinubu’s claims that he made Buhari Nigeria’s President.
Tinubu had, while addressing the Ogun State national delegates in Abeokuta on Thursday, said Buhari wouldn’t have emerged as President if it wasn’t for him.
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He noted that before 2015, Buhari had already resigned from active politics due to his three failed attempts at the presidency.
According to Tinubu, Buhari eventually decided to contest again in 2015 after he went to Katsina to assure him he would win.
“You have not heard this from me before. This is the first place I am saying this,” Tinubu said.
“But I went to his home in Katsina. I told him you would contest and win, but you won’t joke with the matters of the Yorubas. Since he has emerged, I have not been appointed minister. I didn’t get contract.
“This time, it’s Yoruba turn and in Yorubaland, it’s my tenure.”
Tinubu also said that he singlehandedly made Vice President Yemi Osinbajo as Buhari’s running mate.
He said Buhari had offered him a running mate ticket, but some blocs within the party fanned the embers of a Muslim-Muslim ticket to stop him.
Reacting, Lawal, a strong supporter of the Tinubu presidential project, described the comments as a total ‘bullshit.’
He noted that Tinubu’s diatribe could make it difficult for anyone from the North to support people from the South-West for national politics.
“Now all these comments about Bola’s Yoruba presidency and his support of Buhari without which Buhari would not have been President is bullshit.
“He (Tinubu) wasn’t the only one whose support made a difference. There were many others from all around the country and they are not bragging about it.”
He added that all of Buhari’s supporters were shocked and pissed off by Tinubu’s speech, saying it was unlike him.
According to him, Northerners are not happy with Tinubu’s comments.
“I first read it this morning on an Adamawa group platform and the anger is palpable and all round.
“You would think Yorubas will resist the temptation of joining in the Northerners-bashing game at this very critical time – the primary election is only three days away.
“It is unfortunate that Bola himself chose to join in this bashing game – choosing to speak in the Yoruba language and in Yoruba land in a manner that seems to denigrate Buhari. I could vividly imagine the discomfort of all the Northerners sitting beside him on that podium.
“This appears to be the Abiola saga being replayed. Abiola won the election with majority Northern votes but they took the brunt of the post-election protests that followed.
“Just survey all the people that are doing more meaningful practical things to enthrone Bola as President and you will find that almost all are Northerners while his kinsmen engage themselves in social media activism and Northern bashing.”
Lawal warned that Tinubu should be careful to avoid using his own hands to destroy his chances of clinching the APC ticket during the presidential primary election.
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