Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, on Thursday, accused the Peoples Democratic Party and its presidential flagbearear, Atiku Abubakar, of distorting his statement on the alleged plot by fifth columnists to scuttle the general elections through fuel crisis and naira notes redesign.
Tinubu said the main opposition PDP and its presidential flagbearear, Atiku attempted to put a wedge between him and President Muhammadu Buhari.
On Wednesday, during the APC presidential rally in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Tinubu said some fifth columnists had plotted to sabotage the election, using the fuel scarcity and the naira redesign.
“They are plotting, but they will fail. They said fuel price will increase and reach N200 per litre. Go and relax. They don’t want this election to be held, they want to scuttle it. Will you allow them?”, Tinubu had asked the crowd of supporters at the rally.
But in its reaction to Tinubu’s controversial statement, Atiku accused the Tinubu of attacking Buhari, saying such tirades wouldn’t save the ruling party’s presidential flagbearear.
Atiku’s Special Assistant, Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, in a statement on behalf of the PDP flagbearear, said, “Obviously frustrated by his inability to stop the cashless policy and currency redesign of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) that will curb vote buying and enhance the credibility of next month’s election, the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, has begun crying over his imminent defeat.
“Tinubu, while addressing a crowd in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, said the currency redesign was targeted at him. Well, the Holy Bible says in Proverbs 28: 1 that “the wicked run when no one is chasing them, but an honest person is as brave as a lion.”
But Director, Media & Publicity, APC Presidential Campaign Council, Bayo Onanuga, in a statement, on Thursday, said contrary to Atiku’s position, Tinubu did never mentioned Buhari’s name in his remarks.
Onanuga accused the PDP and its candidate of “working in cahoots with fifth columnists in the system to inflict avoidable pains on our hapless people for political end.”
The statement further read, “Nigerians should no longer be in doubt about those working in cahoots with fifth columnists in the system to inflict avoidable pains on our hapless people for political end.
“No sooner Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu empathised with the Nigerian people facing the dual crises of fuel and new Naira notes scarcity, than the opposition PDP and the Atiku camp issued a knee-jerk response, derailing from the issues, distorting Asiwaju’s statement and trying, in vain, to create a wedge between our presidential candidate and President Muhammadu Buhari.
“When the guilty are afraid of being uncovered, they try to push back with red-herring
“For the records, Asiwaju Tinubu during APC campaign rally at Abeokuta on Wednesday, in his statement, did not mention, blame or accuse President Muhammadu Buhari for the current challenges in the country.
“Asiwaju Tinubu was only adverting government’s attention to the sabotage being carried out by some Fifth Columnists in the system, possibly working in cahoots with the PDP.”
The statement added that the CBN officials, including its Governor, Godwin Emefiele, had said many times that enough new Naira notes had been supplied to the banks, yet Nigerians complain that they have not been able to get the new notes.
He said Tinubu only re-echoed what is well known and acknowledged, even by President Buhari himself at different fora: That there are Fifth Columnists in and outside of government who often throw spanners in the works against good intentions and programmes of the government.
The statement added, “How does an advisory genuinely made by Asiwaju Tinubu to protect and create goodwill for the government of his party become an attack? It can only be so in the jaundiced view of the PDP.
“It is in this light we found amusing the directionless Atiku Campaign’s bagful of mischief in their hurriedly put together press statement meant to gain shameful mileage from the suffering of Nigerians.
“PDP and Atiku should remember not to get high on their own smoke. No political blackmail and an attempt to create a conflict between Tinubu and his long-term ally, President Muhammadu Buhari can succeed. We have bad news for Atiku and his handlers: their latest mischief is therefore doomed to fail.”
