By Gideon Njoku
Bashir El-Rufai, a son of the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, says that the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, will crumble if Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, a Presidential aspirant, fails to get the ticket as the Party’s candidate.
This comes as Tinubu’s aspiration suddenly came under threat three days to the Presidential Primaries.
Tinubu, otherwise, a frontline runner, talked himself into controversy in Abeokuta, Ogun State where he went to woo delegates.
Addressing them, he launched unprovoked tirade against President Muhammadu Buhari perceived to be derogatory. He also did the same to both Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and the host Governor, Dapo Abiodun.
According to Tinubu, he made the three of them what they are today. For effect, he reminded his audience that Buhari had contested three times and failed three times.
The statement outraged not a few people, especially in the North.
Tinubu’s staunch supporter, Babachir Lawal, a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, angrily took Tinubu up, and dismissed his claims as “bullshit.”
In two separate statements within 24 hours, one from his Campaign Organisation, and the other signed personally by him, Tinubu has embarked on damage control. He said his utterances were misunderstood and misinterpreted because he spoke in Yoruba language. He blamed mischief makers, and pledged his unalloyed loyalty to the President, as well as deep respect for both him and the office he occupies.
Yet, there are fears in Tinubu’s camp that the damage control has not doused the tension caused in Abeokuta and may affect Tinubu’s chances during the Primaries.
But El-Rufai jnr who has acquired his father’s appetite for controversy, has warned of the consequences of denying Tinubu the ticket.
In a post, he said it would scatter the APC as a Party.
His words: “If this man doesn’t get this ticket, this “party” as we know it immediately ceases to exist as a single entity.”
In the past couple of weeks, the rumour has been strong that Tinubu could defect to the Social Democratic Party, SDP, if he fails to clinch the APC Presidential ticket. His camp denies it.
The APC Presidential primaries will take place in Abuja between Monday, June 6 and Tuesday, June 7.
