Bola Tinubu, a leader of the ruling APC, says he will never contest for Presidency against
President Buhari and he won't support anyone who does. Tinubu said this
in a statement while reacting to a newspaper report that he is gearing up to
contest against President Buhari in the next presidential election and that he
has picked three possible running mates namely Sokoto state governor Aminu
Tambuwal, Senator Abu Ibrahim and the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Sanusi Lamido
Sanusi.
“The story is a
manufactured tale weaved by its authors to try to create division where there
is none. Those who wrote this fantasy piece seek to place Asiwaju Tinubu at
odds with President Buhari. Writing such a baseless report is a very foul and
wrong thing to do. As long as that patriotic and committed man named Muhammadu
Buhari holds and seeks to hold the mantle as our president, then Asiwaju Tinubu
stands behind him in unwavering support and confidence. Asiwaju Tinubu remains
faithful to the mission of progressive reform and change that President Buhari,
he and the All Progressives Congress, APC, have started. Tinubu was
instrumental in the formation and success of the APC. His toil and efforts
helped establish this government. He is not one to tear down something he
laboured so dutifully to build. Instead of trying to convey the truth, the
THISDAY report opted to gain false sensation by completely mocking the tenor of
the brief banter Asiwaju Tinubu had with journalists at the inauguration of
Ondo State Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu. When asked about future political
office, Asiwaju said he could not discount that possibility if the nation
called upon him for such service, provided, he emphasised, that all political
conditions were appropriate; particularly the office in question would have to
be vacant, even if it’s local government chairmanship. In our political
lexicon, this means the office is not held by a member of the APC in good
standing. We all know this. Moreover, if you really listen to his words,
Asiwaju did not mention any office or any time-frame. The conditions he
mentioned may not become ripe for years to come and they might not pertain to
the presidency. In effect, all Asiwaju said was the position that any political
figure would hold. As a politician, he cannot preclude the possibility of
running for office in the future because no man knows what the future will
hold. To translate this general statement of political reality into a tale that
he is actively preparing for a 2019 presidential run is reckless in the
extreme. For that newspaper’s reporters to have engaged in this great leap of
counterfeit logic means they purposefully bowed to the pressure to create false
headlines instead of following the ethics of their craft to follow the truth
even if the truth is more pedestrian and less volatile than what the reporters
would have liked to hear. They have turned themselves into newsmakers instead
of remaining true to their calling of being neutral conveyors of events.
Asiwaju Tinubu has not held any planning meetings for any such presidential
campaign and is not contemplating any such meetings. He has no present list of
possible running mates because he has no present intention of running. The
headline also libels Asiwaju by asserting he was going to join the PDP. This is
as shameless as a lie can be. Asiwaju is acknowledged to be the intellectual
father and the driving force behind the APC. It makes no sense that he would
abandon the party that he worked hard to build in order to enter the dilapidated
building the PDP has become. Asiwaju worked for over 16 years to break the PDP
yoke on the nation. After breaking that yoke, it is not in his nature to
voluntarily place it back on our necks. Anyone who has followed his career,
even his staunchest critics, knows Asiwaju for his partisan consistency. He is
not a party hopper. He is loyal and sticks with the party to which he belongs.
After fighting for so many years to elevate his party to the position of
national leadership, he would not give that away in order to join with those
who blame him for their currently bleak political circumstance. We understand
all too well the genesis of this false news report. For their own reasons,
THISDAY has joined with those who seek to put Asiwaju Tinubu at odds with our
President. This scam will fail. Asiwaju supports and stands behind President
Buhari. He wishes the president well and that he returns soon. Whether the
president is here or away, he has the full loyalty of Asiwaju Tinubu. President
Buhari can rest assured on this point: Asiwaju Tinubu will never contest
against him nor will he support anyone who does.”
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