Few weeks to the presidential poll, the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC symbol, broom appears to have been burnt by some chieftains of the party what with the accusation and refute that the presidency is not in support of the presidential ambition of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the ruling party in the February 25, 2023 presidential poll
By Miracle Egbo
Prior to the outburst by the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State on Wednesday, January 25, 2023 to the effect that some actions and inactions of the Federal Government which have caused untold hardship in the country are targeted at him, there have been strong speculation peddled by some members of the ruling party that the redesigning of naira and constant paucity of fuel, the frequent hike of the electricity tariffs and other alleged unfavourable policies are targeted at making sure that the ambition of presidential candidate of the party in the race is ruined.
However, some party stalwarts have consistently insisted that President Mohammadu Buhari has nothing whatsoever against Tinubu taking over from him on May 29, 2023. Despite these consistent assurances that President Buhari is for Tinubu, die-hard supporters of the latter have at different fora expressed doubts about the concerted commitment of Mr. President to the electioneering. According to them, the actions of President Buhari so far have found expression in the fact that he never endorsed the candidature of Tinubu on or before the presidential primary of the party.
An informed Aso Rock source told this medium that President Buhari was blackmailed to joining the presidential candidate of the party at electioneering because he was not impressed by the character of the candidate and unanswered questions surrounding his identity. According to the source, President Buhari is committed to delivering credible and transparent election , hence he is not bothered by the outburst of the presidential candidate of the party and his supporters as he is all out to allow Nigerians to elect any leader they believe would take the country to its desired destination developmental and politically. Insisted the source, “Tinubu is not the only presidential candidate in the race, why the noise? If President Buhari unduly favours him, he would not be seen to be ready to deliver a credible and transparent election, therefore, Buhari would not be cowed by the spin doctors of Tinubu as they did during the presidential primary of the party last year”.
It would be recalled that since 2015 President Buhari has kept Tinubu at arm length because Tinubu’s alleged penchant for corruption, the allegation that he is strongly linked to narcotic business and other sundry allegations. That cold war between the duo last for the most part of the first term of President Buhari which forced the wife of Tinubu to cry foul saying that her husband was not being treated well for he contributed immensely to the victory of Buhari at the polls. The crack in the camps of the two were only temporary papered in 2019 for the sake of the second term bid of Buhari after which each camp stuck to their gun. The cold war was palpable when President Buhari visited Lagos after angrily leaving electioneering of the party in Bauchi State, and there was noticeable absence of Tinubu at the commissioning of Lagos Metro Rail Line and other projects on Tuesday, 24 January 2023 which further heightened the suspicion that the political cleavage between the duo is widening on daily basis.
Presidential Candidate of APC is being plummeted in all fronts by his traducers. More devastating, according to the findings orchestrated by this medium, is that in Lagos, the political stronghold of Tinubu, his political wings may have been clipped by the mere fact that the Lagos State Commission for Police who allegedly is said to be one of the sidekicks of Tinubu has been changed, ditto for Ogun State where Tinubu is equally holding sway. Another policy that the spin doctors of Tinubu are referring to as sabotage is the recent hike in the electricity tariffs, adding that to the burden of the already impoverished electorate and that would ultimately translate to protest vote against the ruling party. Added to this is the hardship occasioned by the redesigning of naira and consistent paucity of fuel which has been touted as the grand plan by the “powers that be”, according to Tinubu to frustrate his ambition to rule Nigeria. Tinubu handlers had tried to change the narratives by saying that when their principal said that the powers that be had been hoarding naira and causing the lingering fuel paucity, he was referring to the opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
The outburst of Tinubu during electioneering in Cross River State on Wednesday, February 1, 2023 that President Buhari lacked what it takes to revamp the ailing economy of the country, alluded to the fact that the sporadic weakening of the naira notes under the watch of Mr. President was responsible for the inflation in the country. At the electioneering he said that in 2015 naira was exchanged to the United States of America dollar at N200 per a dollar, but that now a dollar is exchanged for N800 per dollar, an affront, which presidency said is case of somebody who is bereft of issues to campaign about. The presidency had said that no presidential candidate would be unduly favoured based on the principle of delivering credible and transparent election. This fact was buttressed by the statement credited to the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed who said that President Buhari does not in any way obstruct Nigerians from supporting Tinubu or any other presidential candidate for that matter. According to Mohammed, those who are causing division among the ruling party should be careful so that it does not cost the party victory at the general election.
Nasir El-Rufai, the governor of Kaduna State in an interview on Channels Television that had gone viral, said that some cabal in the villa who do not like the face of the presidential candidate of APC are assiduously working against his victory at the poll. He said that the same cabal never wanted Tinubu to emerge even during the primary of the party, and are the ones behind the plot to frustrate Tinubu’s ambition to succeed President Buhari on May, 29, 2023. The outburst of El-Ruffai appears to have had tacit support of the First Lady, Aisha Buhari who hitherto had raised alarm of the hijacking of the administration of her husband thereby excluding those who actually worked for the victory of her husband in 2015 and 2019 presidential polls. The governor of Kaduna State in an interview on ARISE Television on February 2, 2023 said that in the said interview that he never indicted President Buhari but some elements in the presidency who are responsible for the plot to sabotage the efforts of Tinubu to win the election. According to him, the redesigning of naira and scarcity of fuel across the nation is being used to incite the electorate to vote against the ruling APC in the 2023 general election, insisting that his party is going to win the election whether the cabal in the villa likes it or not.
Investigation orchestrated by this medium revealed that almost all the presidential aspirants during the primary of the party appeared to have abandoned the presidential candidate of their party as they are not seen at the electioneering grounds of the party in all the states the party had visited since electioneering started last year. According to an informed source, even some of the governors who were stoic in the support for the emergency of Tinubu as the presidential flag bearer of the party during the presidential primary of APC appeared to have withdrawn their support for him. The source insisted that majority of the chieftains of the ruling party from the northern part of the country may have turned their back on Tinubu, citing his political baggage as the reason for abandoning him. The gale of defection that had hit the ruling party is suggestive that all is not well for a political party that had for the past eight years wrought excruciating pain on most Nigerians.
Political pundits are quick to add that the simmering cracks in the ruling party are capable of impugning on whatever political capital the party would have made in the course of its electioneering in past few months. The pundits said that Tinubu’s spin doctors are not helping matters by making it look as if all is well with the ruling party. Majority of the chieftains of the ruling party appeared to have abandoned the presidential candidate of the party on the grounds that he had political baggage that would make it difficult to market him to the electorate hence the withdrawal of their support.
The noticeable crack in the ruling party is capable to cost the party victory in the forthcoming elections despite denials from the party’s chieftains that all is well with the party.
