Bola Tinubu, a national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has described as “untrue” reports that he is planning to strengthen his presidential ambition by planting his allies in key positions at the national assembly.
The politician said those who feel they know his mind better than he does are spreading such rumours.
Tinubu
said he aligned with President Muhammadu Buhari’s position on the
leadership of the national assembly in order to show support for his
second term in office.Buhari and the leadership of the ruling
party have endorsed Ahmad Lawan as senate president and Femi
Gbajabiamila as speaker of the house of representatives.Gbajabiamila,
an ally of Tinubu, was elected into the lower legislative chamber of
the national assembly during the second term of the APC leader as
governor of Lagos state.In a statement from his media office on Sunday, Tinubu said he has no ulterior motive backing Lawan and Gbajabiamila.
He
said his mind, heart and efforts are focused on making the APC and
Buhari in achieving their “shared vision of a flourishing economy and a
prosperous people”.“We have monitored, with rising incredulity,
the rash of news stories claiming Asiwaju Tinubu is manipulating the APC
nomination process for the national assembly leadership,” the statement
read.“The stories claim this supposed manipulation is the first
salvo in Asiwaju’s effort to position himself for a presidential run
during the 2023 election cycle. Not only are these reports utterly
false, based as they are in the febrile imaginations of those persons by
whom they are being peddled, they are injurious to President Buhari’s
historic quest to reform Nigeria. It is for this latter reason that we
find cause to speak out where otherwise we would have continued to watch
on in silent amusement.“The peddlers of these rumors have
arrogated to themselves the preternatural ability to read Asiwaju’s mind
more than he himself can know it. They also seem to have acquired the
unique gift of bending time so that 2023 appears before we even reach
the midway point of 2019. If these people would only enlist their
uncanny talents in the service of the nation instead of in the service
of political intrigue and gossip mongering our country would be much the
better.“This attempt to caricature Asiwaju as if his words and
actions are all aimed at grabbing power will fail because this portrait
distorts the plain truth. While the headlines are sensational they are
also senseless because they are not grounded in fact.“The
rumor-mongers should court greater discipline and wisdom. As Asiwaju
recently said there is no action a person can take that constitutes a
political guarantee as to what may come four years from now.Moreover,
that having allies in the national assembly leadership positions will
greatly enhance someone’s presidential ambitions is a spurious claim.”Taking
a swipe at Senate President Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara, speaker of
the house of reps, Tinubu said the APC must do its best to avoid those
who would frustrate Buhari in power.He said under Saraki and Dogara, budgets were hijacked while the interest of the party was not duly served.
“As
he enters his second term, President Buhari has stated that he will
give the economy special priority. His goal is to defeat poverty and
joblessness while spurring the type of growth and development that will
make Nigeria’s a durable and flourishing economy. These goals are
laudable and necessary to move Nigeria forward. However, the obstacles
before us are vast and complex.“Just look at the way Saraki,
Dogara and their ilk hijacked the budget process these past four years.
National budgets were delayed and distorted as these actors repeatedly
sought to pad budgets with pet projects that would profit them,” he
said.“Even worse, they cut funds intended to prosper projects
that would have benefitted the average person. After four years of their
antics halting the progress of government, we should do all we can to
prevent a repeat of their malign control of the National Assembly.“If
we are truly committed to optimal governance, then we also must be
equally committed to ensuring that the National Assembly leadership be
competent and experienced as well as imbued with a progressive mindset
and a desire to work in close cooperation with executive. This is all
Asiwaju has hoped to achieve. There are no ulterior motives. Everything
he has done is in concert with and in furtherance of the wishes of
President Buhari and the party.”Tinubu warned those who are
against the president to be bold enough to make their stand known rather
than trying to drive a wedge between him and Buhari.“Thus, those who cast aspersions at Asiwaju, in reality are bucking against the stated position of the President,” he said.
“This
is a democracy and people have the right to oppose whomever they wish
to oppose. However, if these mongers oppose the president let them be of
sufficient courage to plainly say so. They should not disparage Asiwaju
as an indirect way to contend against the President.“What
everyone who cares about Nigeria should now do is rally around the
president to give him all possible support in driving to reality his
economic policies and objectives. This is how we progress as a nation.”
Source:- Thecableng
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