- The APC has reacted to the allegations levelled against Tinubu by Saraki
- The Senate president had claimed that the APC leader is supporting President Buhari because of his 2023 presidential ambition
- The ruling party, however, said that Tinubu has not made nown his presidential ambition, adding that it is too early to be talking about 2023
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has reacted to the claim by Senate president Bukola Saraki that its national leader, Ahmed Bola Tinubu, was supporting President Muhammadu Buhari in order to take over from him in 2023.
Saraki had on Monday, August 20, said Tinubu was supporting President Buhari’s re-election with the hope of succeeding the president in 2023.
The Senate president also said Tinubu told him he would support Buhari even if he was on a stretcher.
READ ALSO: Shehu Sani reveals party, presidential candidate he endorses for 2019 elections
Saraki spoke in reaction to a statement on Sunday, August 19, by Tinubu, alleging that the Senate president dumped the APC because of his presidential ambition and selfish quest for power.
However, the national publicity secretary of the APC, Yekini Nabena, in an interview with The Punch, indicated that it was premature to talk about 2023 presidency, adding that Tinubu’s presidential ambition had not been communicated to the party.
When asked to comment on Saraki’s statement, Nabena said: “This (Tinubu’s ambition) has not been communicated to the party, so I cannot comment on it. Besides, why should anybody be talking about 2023 when we are in 2018? Is anybody God?”
Meanwhile, in his own reaction to the alleged 2023 ambition, a chieftain of Afenifere, a Yoruba socio-cultural association, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, said the APC leader must be naive to think that the North will allow him to succeed Buhari in 2023.
The 90-year-old statesman also urged the people of the southwest not to allow themselves to be fooled by Tinubu a second time.
“Tinubu is daydreaming if he thinks the North will ever support his presidential ambition. We have our principles.
“We are not supporting Buhari under any circumstance and Tinubu cannot lead Yoruba land because all he has done is to lead us astray. All he has done for us is to give some of our people who are close to him appointments.
“Nothing tangible has been done for Yoruba land. He gave his stooges appointments, nothing more, nothing less. If he has done more than that, let him say it,” The Punch quoted him to have said.
Adebanjo said the only demand the Yoruba had made was restructuring which the APC had been dishonest about.
The Afenifere chieftain said one of the reasons Afenifere supported Buhari in 2007 was because of his promise to restructure the country to allow for true federalism.
He said instead of keeping its promise, the APC resorted to setting up a committee on restructuring to deceive Nigerians.
“How can they be telling us about the restructuring committee, when from the outset, they were supposed to have started restructuring. Who do they think they are fooling? If Tinubu is daydreaming, he shouldn’t think others are daydreaming like him,” Adebanjo added.
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Meanwhile, NAIJ.com had previously reported that Senator Shehu Sani, representing Kaduna Central senatorial district, said that President Buhari and the APC deserve re-election in the 2019 general elections.
The activist turned politician stated this while interacting with newsmen who visited him to mark the Salah celebration at his Kaduna residence, Leadership reports.
Sani reportedly said that in spite of the challenges bedevilling the nation, the performance of the present administration under the leadership of President Buhari has done more for the good of the nation considering the challenges he has to deal with.
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Source: Naija.ng