PDP says Tinubu was forced to lead Buhari’s campaign team
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has alleged that the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu was forced to lead the campaign team of President Buhari.
Tinubu is the co-chairman of the APC campaign council, which was inaugurated recently by the President.
According to the PDP, the APC leader was allegedly told that he will be prosecuted for corruption allegations if he does not support Buhari’s second term bid, by those it described as agents of the presidency.
The party made this known in a statement signed by its spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan.
Ologbondiyan said “It is very unfortunate that at the time Nigerians, across the board, are boldly jettisoning their personal interests and joining in the quest to rescue our nation from President Buhari’s incompetent, corrupt, divisive and anti-people regime, a leader of Asiwaju’s status is chasing personal interests and self-preservation.
“Nigerians can recall how Asiwaju in January 2018, at the 15th Annual Daily Trust Dialogue rejected the Buhari administration’s nepotism, incompetence, corrupt oil subsidy regime; blamed it for the high-level of poverty in our country and urged Nigerians to be guided by their conscience in electing leaders in the 2019 general elections.
“Berating the Buhari administration, Asiwaju held that “too much political and economic power resides in the hands of too few. This result in a society described by too much unemployment, inadequate infrastructure, too little food, yet too much poverty.
“Asiwaju had also rightly posited that, under President Buhari, “rather than becoming a joyous nation, Nigeria has become a cruel playground where the fears and concerns of the average person get exploited but their interests never get promoted.
“He then concluded by urging Nigerians to follow their conscience in the 2019 elections by resisting ‘unthinking passions and old prejudices’, which is the hallmark of President Buhari’s re-election campaign.
“The question Nigerians are asking now is, what has suddenly changed in President Buhari’s leadership style to warrant Asiwaju’s full circle turn.
“Nigerians have seen that Asiwaju’s involvement in Buhari 2019 campaign is not motivated by any national or even regional interests but by personal reasons far from the general good.
“While we understand the frustration being faced by Asiwaju in this unfortunate task of marketing a rejected product, we caution him to be careful not to allow the ill-fated Buhari Presidency to destroy whatever is left of the respect he has earned among Nigerians, who have already made up their minds to rally behind the PDP Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, as the next President of Nigeria.
“Asiwaju, by now, would have noted how Nigerians berate him whenever he lends himself as a tool in the hands of the Buhari Presidency to cast aspersions on Atiku Abubakar.
“We, therefore, counsel Asiwaju to be mindful of his status in the pantheon of leaders and note that he is not with Nigerians in his new enterprise, for which he now needs to clear his name over alleged involvement in the anti-people cabal at the Buhari Presidency.
“We also want to caution Tinubu on his penchant for making unsubstantiated allegations against our candidate, Atiku Abubakar.”
PDP issued this statement in reaction to a call made by Tinubu to Nigerians not to vote for Atiku Abubakar.
The APC national leader said that Buhari’s honesty is what stands him out from the PDP presidential candidate.