Former Kaduna state Governor, Nasir el-Rufai at the weekend, accused President Bola Tinubu of planning to stay in office for life, maintaining that there are already pointers to that effect from recent actions by the current All Progressives Congress (APC) led administration.<\/p>\n
He also further took a dig at the President, describing him as a fake democrat, especially over the recent alleged attacks on members of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in parts of the country.<\/p>\n
Speaking when former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar paid him a solidarity visit in Abuja over the recent altercation that ensued during a meeting of the opposition party in Kaduna, the former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) \u00a0said that Tinubu intended to take after some sit-tight African leaders who have failed to vacate their seats after spending decades in power.<\/p>\n
In the beginning, El-Rufai, a founding member of the APC threw his weight behind Tinubu in the run-up to the 2023 presidential election, mobilising support for him, especially in the northern parts of Nigeria.<\/p>\n
However, after the victory, el-Rufai\u2019s hopes of serving in Tinubu\u2019s cabinet were dashed as his ministerial nomination was blocked, a development perceived by the former Kaduna governor and his supporters as betrayal.<\/p>\n
Since then, el-Rufai\u2019s public commentary against the President has begun to harden, as he has ramped up his criticism of Tinubu\u2019s style of governance and the short-term results of his economic reforms.<\/p>\n
But at the meeting with Atiku, el-Rufai likened Tinubu to Cameroon\u2019s Paul Biya, who has been the country\u2019s leader for almost 43 years, maintaining that aside from planning to sit-tight, Tinubu was also centralising governance instead of devolving power. The video of the event was shared by the former Vice President, Atiku, on his social media handles.<\/p>\n
\u201cHonestly, to me, it\u2019s a disgrace, I mean, for people to behave the way they are doing. So it means that all the years of saying we are pro-democracy, NADECO, it was all pretence, it was all fake. And all the claims that we are fighting for true federalism and so on, it\u2019s all fake.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause this government is trying to centralise everything instead of devolving power to the lower levels. So the sum total of this is that we are facing an evil of such a large proportion in the history of this country that if we don\u2019t all come together and end this Tinubu administration by 2027, Tinubu will try to be our Paul Biya.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe will stay, he will be president for life. All the signs are there. This is how Paul Biya started. All the signs are there. So we don\u2019t have a choice,\u201d el-Rufai maintained.<\/p>\n
He urged Atiku to deploy his experience to ensure that there\u2019s serious mobilisation to make sure that Tinubu does not return to power in 2027.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are our leader, you have done this fight, you have fought the military, you have experience in democratic governance, and when you and Olusegun Obasanjo were in charge of this country, no one was imprisoned because he had a different political view.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven President Muhammadu Buhari with his military background never did that. And here we are, we are facing full-fledged civilians. But they are worse than any military regime we have ever had. Your call that we must unite is a timely one,\u201d the former minister emphasised.<\/p>\n
According to him, Nigerians are looking up to the ADC to provide leadership that will see the removal of the government led by the APC at the centre.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the people of Nigeria have made up their minds that this government must go, APC must be voted out. What the people of Nigeria are looking forward to is us. We must provide the leadership and the unity of purpose that you talked about.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sure with your leadership, with your forbearance, and your diplomatic skills of bringing people together, I\u2019m sure we will reach the promised land. That\u2019s it for me,\u201d el-Rufai said.<\/p>\n
Also speaking, Atiku lauded el-Rufai for being fearless, agreeing with him on the need for unity among the ranks of the opposition.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnyway, I know you are not the kind of person who is scared that we will not confront this situation.There is all the more reason why we should come together to confront this situation headlong and make sure that, one, it doesn\u2019t happen anymore during the remaining part of this administration. And secondly, like you said, we will send them out by 2027. And not through anything else but through the ballot box,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n
Separately, on his social media handles, Atiku described the persons who allegedly attacked el-Rufai in Kaduna at the recent inauguration of the ADC in the state as \u2018APC-sponsored thugs\u2019.<\/p>\n
He reiterated that the activities of the Tinubu-led APC administration pose the greatest risk to Nigeria\u2019s democracy since the return of democratic governance, positing that it is concerning that the administration has turned into a full-blown dictatorship.<\/p>\n
He noted that the party resolved to harmonise its strengths and stand united in its resolve to \u2018rescue Nigeria\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe battle to save our democracy and provide a viable alternative platform that will enthrone purposeful governance is a response to the wishes and aspirations of Nigerians who are fed up with the incompetent and clueless Tinubu government,\u201d Atiku stated.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, author and staunch supporter of the current administration, Reno Omokri, has stated that although he loves and respects ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, he will campaign for President Tinubu in 2027.<\/p>\n
Speaking during an interview on Channels TV, Omokri stated that although he wasn\u2019t willing to delve into such issues, he has decided to work for Tinubu in the run-up to the presidential polls.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have unconditional love for former President Jonathan, and I have unconditional access to him. I can stop this interview, and I can call him, he will pick up.\u00a0 So if I have unconditional love for him, and if I have unrestricted access to him, why should I come on national television to talk about his ambition?\u201d he said<\/p>\n
Buttressing his closeness to Jonathan, he stated that the ex-President picks his calls anytime he puts a call through to him, explaining that he (Omokri) even named a child after Jonathan.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can only say this. In 2027, I will campaign vigorously for Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to return as president of Nigeria, and I believe he\u2019s going to be re-elected. Listen, just to remove any equivocation, I\u2019m going to say this.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not going to speak about former President Jonathan publicly. I have access to him, and let me tell you something here. I love former President Jonathan more than any other person other than my wife, my children, and my parents.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m telling you. I named my daughter after him. I mean, how many people can you do that for? I named my daughter after him.\u00a0 However, I\u2019m not going to talk about him here. What I will say is that in 2027, I will be campaigning for, and I will project Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and I am confident that he \u00a0is going to be re-elected as president of Nigeria for a second time in 2027,\u201d he maintained.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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