Aftermath Of Ogun State Tirade: Tinubu Bows; Pledges Loyalty To Buhari; Calls Him A Patriot

By Adesina Soyooye

For the second time in less than 24 hours, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Presidential aspirant under the All Progressives Congress, APC, has reached out to President Muhammadu Buhari to pledge his loyalty and make amends for the inexplicable tirade he launched on the President.

Two Press Statements has been issued for damage control, and to appease especially, Buhari’s supporters and loyalists who are outraged by Tinubu’s utterances.

In what has been described as signs of frustration and desperation, Tinubu descended on Buhari during his visit to Ogun State to hunt for delegates.

Addressing the delegates, Tinubu told them how, if not for him, Buhari would not have become the President. He said he was instrumental  to the 2015 victory of Buhari. For good measure, he reminded them that the President had contested three times and failed. He also reminded them that Buhari had said on National Television that he was through with contesting for the Presidential seat, until he intervened.

He also said Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and Ogun State Governor were his products.  But for him, he said, just like in Buhari’s case, they won’t be occupying their present positions.

Tinubu: “If not me that led the war front, Buhari wouldn’t have emerged. He contested first, second and third time, but lost. He even said on television that he won’t contest again.

“But I went to his home in Katsina. I told him you would contest and win … This time, it is Yoruba turn and in Yoruba land, it’s my tenure.”

But Tinubu’s outburst has  caused an uproar, and has outraged not a few people, especially, in the North.

A die-hard Tinubu supporter and  former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, was so outraged that he dismissed Tinubu’s Outburst as “bullshit.” For the records, Lawal was one of those who purchased the Presidential Forms for Tinubu and was present to submit them on  completion.

In a statement, on Friday, an angry Lawal said:

“Sometimes it is very difficult to support a Yoruba person in national politics if you are not one. They have a way of making you regret your support because they eventually make you seem like a traitor to your own people. Now all these comments about Bola’s Yoruba presidency and his support of Buhari without which Buhari would not have been president is bullshit.”

Realising the damage that has been done, the Tinubu Campaign Organisation, in a statement issued on Friday, signed by  Bayo Onanuga, said  Tinubu’s speech has been misinterpreted for mischief purposes.

“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.

Seeing that the statement appeared nobody, Tinubu, in a second statement which he personally signed, pledged his unalloyed loyalty to Buhari. He noted that it was unthinkable that he would denigrate the leader of the party he is aspiring to be the next flag bearer.

Tinubu: “It makes no sense at all to do such an indelicate, unseemly thing.

“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.”

Following is the full text of Tinubu’s statement titled: “I HAVE HIGH REGARD AND RESPECT FOR PRESIDENT BUHARI”

“We have entered the meat of primary season. Sensationalism and wilful inaccuracy tend to push aside truth during such moments. I make this statement so that truth and accuracy may have a chance. It is important that people truly know what I said and where I stand.

“Whatever view you have of me is within your right to make. But let it be based on truth and not on falsehood or reckless exaggeration.

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. Instead of weighing what I said carefully, they translated so quickly and thus inaccurately in an attempt to meet media deadlines. Of course, there are also those who knew better but they conveyed these inaccuracies because the sensationalism suits their political purposes.

“Again, such propaganda and misinformation becomes daily fare in the heat of the political season. Let’s just state what needs to be stated. My opponents want to present a narrative that I made comments disrespectful of President Muhammadu Buhari in hopes that such a narrative would convince President Buhari to oppose my aspirations regarding the approaching primary. President Buhari is an experienced and accomplished leader.

“I do not believe he will be taken by the tricks of such people.

“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.

Indeed, I consistently supported the president and his administration. Even when the administration has come under intense criticism, my feet have always been planted solidly in defence of the president.

“The President personally nominated me to coordinate his re-election campaign in 2019. He did this not because I opposed him or because I was indifferent. He did so, because I was firmly with him in 2015 and has stood firmly beside him ever since. When I publicly announced my aspiration to seek the party nomination for the upcoming presidential election, I stressed that my strategic objective was to build on the foundation laid by the Buhari administration.

“In fact, I believe I was the first aspirant to inform President Buhari of his presidential intention. It was a sign of the respect I have for him and his office. It is unthinkable that I would asperse the leader of the party for which I hope to be the next flag bearer. It makes no sense at all to do such an indelicate, unseemly thing.”

The APC Presidential Primaries will hold between June 6 and June 7.

The Party leadership is pushing for a consensus candidate. But according to the Chairman of the Screening Committee, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, all but one aspirant agreed to do that.

There is no price for correctly guessing who the aspirant is. Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.