The All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu has sparked anger in the presidency over his comment on Wednesday that some appointees of the current administration are working to scuttle his chances to win next month’s election.
The APC presidential hopeful had during the party’s presidential campaign in Abeokuta, Ogun State indicted some officials of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, and Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC Limited of trying to frustrate his presidential ambition.
He alleged that the ongoing fuel scarcity and naira redesign are ochestrated to stop him from emerging winner in the February 25 presidential poll.
The former governor of Lagos state is a frontrunner in the election alongside Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar of the Labour Party, LP, and, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
But speaking during the campaign, Tinubu alleged an ongoing plot to stop Nigerians from going out to vote on election day, saying he’s the target.
According to him, “they have been scheming to create fuel crisis, but forget about it,” they cannot stop the party from winning, adding “they hoarded money, they hoarded naira, we will go and vote and we will win, even if they change the ink on Naira notes.”
He said, “relax, I Asiwaju I have told you that the issue of fuel supply will be permanently addressed. Whoever wants to eat the honey embedded in a mountain won’t worry about the axe.
“Let them increase the price of fuel. Only them know where they have hoarded fuel.
“They hoarded money, they hoarded naira, we will go and vote and we will win, even if they change the ink on Naira notes.
“Whatever their plans, it will come to nought.We are going to win. Those in the PDP will lose.
“We will take over the government from them – the traitors who wanted to contest with us. They had no experience. The great Nigerian youths, the great Nigerian students, the confident Nigerian youths.
“This is a revolution. This election is a revolution. They are plotting, but they will fail.
“They said fuel price will increase and reach N2,000 per litre. Go and relax. They don’t want this election to hold.
“They want to scuttle it. But on this one, I’m guaranteeing you one thing: there will be student loan.
“Nobody will drop out of the university because of school fees. I guarantee you that.
“We are too smart, we are brilliant, we are courageous, we are sharp, we will make four years course four years course.
“Do you agree? Will you vote whether there is fuel or not? Call your sister, we are bringing revolution. “Let me say what’s on my mind.
“The other day, I told you. This one too, they think they can cause crisis by sabotaging fuel supply.
“They are sabotaging fuel supply.
“Whether there is fuel or not, whether there is Okada (motorcycle) or not, whether there is tricycle or not, we will go and vote and we shall win.
“This is a superior revolution and when I tell you, you know what I mean. You know me. We are going there to win.”
His comment is now causing disquiet in the President Muhammadu Buhari administration with some top administration officials demanding that the APC candidate be called to order.
Those close to the president are suggesting to Buhari that Tinubu’s comment is capable of bringing the administration to disrepute among Nigerians, and further make it unpopular among those that have accused it of underperformance.
“For the ruling party presidential candidate to make such a careless state is uncalled for. What he’s trying to tell Nigerians is that those working for the president are working against him. How can that be when the president has fully thrown his weight behind you after you emerged from the primary,” a source said on Thursday.
He stated further that the president is not ” responsible for the ongoing full scarcity, and has recently set up a committee to look into the matter. On the issue of the redesign naira notes, President Buhari threw his weight behind the CBN governor because he believes this is the right thing to do. And as you can see, the incidence of kidnapping for ransome has really reduced since the CBN announced the policy. How come he’s now alleging that he’s the prime target, when he’s not one of the sponsors of criminality in the country and benefitting from it.”
Some APC stalwarts who spoke with the magazine said they are not happy that Tinubu openly indicted the party. The APC candidate is supposed to be selling the ruling party instead of trying to bring it down.
“It s unthinkable that somebody who we are hoping to succeed President Buhari, and supposed to be the major promoter of government is now making comment capable of running the administration down.
This is not good for the party as we go into the election next month. How can you be demarketing a government you want to succeed,” a source in the Abdullahi Adamu -led APC National Working Committee, NWC also said.
Meanwhile, the magazine learnt that top members of the APC will continue to distant themselves from Tinubu campaign so long he continues to make gaffes they consider enough to rubbish the party.
For instance, the National Chairman of the APC Abdullahi Adamu and some members of the NWC were conspicuously absent during the campaign in Abeokuta on Wednesday.
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