In a statement issued by President Muhammadu Buhari's Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, he said the Senate President's recent "crude speeches" against the president, despite working with him for three years, prove that he only has his own interests to cater to.

He said Saraki has always been complimentary of the president until his recent defection to the People's Democratic Party (PDP), a move he alleged was for the sole purpose of contesting against Buhari in the 2019 presidential election.

Despite Saraki's remarks against the president, Shehu urged Buhjari's supporters to exercise "restraint in language and conduct" and not join the Senate President in "lowering the quality of political discourse".

The statement read, "The Presidency wishes to react the crude speeches hitting the news from Senator Bukola Saraki who recently joined the Peoples Democratic Party with the sole ambition of running as the president of Nigeria.

"In response to the condemnable and extremely derogatory speeches by the PDP aspirant, we urge all Buhari supporters to display restraint in language and conduct and to always put across their points of view in a decent language.

"Throughout his political career, Senator Saraki has shown that he is a very dangerous person who can go any length to promote his personal interests. The language of his campaign is such that cannot be used against a domestic help.

"Is he just knowing that the President lacked vision? This is someone that the Senator had worked with very closely for more than three years. Amazingly, he never said all that he is now saying against him.

"Rather, his word for and on the President were always respectful and reassuring. That's the man he called 'My Father,' about him 'there is no cause for alarm…a President who is healthy, witty and himself'. What then changed, all of a sudden?

"Is he saying these blatantly false and crude things against the President because he is gunning for the same office? Could it be that he is targeting President Buhari because the party he just joined does not have any real issues to highlight?

"Be that as it may, our appeal to our supporters is to ignore Saraki and any such politicians bent on lowering the quality of political discourse. Let them drown in their own waters."

Saraki's "crude speeches" against Buhari

Whileaddressing PDP delegates at the party's Lagos secretariat on Monday, September 17, Saraki said Nigeria needs visionary leaders.

"We should stop using sentiments to vote for our leaders because a man cannot give what he does not have," he said.

While speaking to PDP delegates in Oyo State the next day, he said the president does not understand leadership and has failed to command the respect of world leaders.

He said, "The President we have now does not understand leadership. We have endured him for more than three years but it is the same thing.

Saraki also urged Nigerians to stop voting based on ethnic and religious sentiments and more on individual merit so that the country can progress.