There are still signs that things may not be going well between the presidency and Bola Tinubu, the APC’s candidate for president, less than a month before the 2023 election.
Even though they are all APC members, President Muhammadu Buhari, his vice president, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, and the other members of his cabinet appear to be showing no interest in the former Lagos State Governor’s plans to run for president.
The presidency has not demonstrated a serious level of commitment to ensuring Tinubu and the APC’s victory since he began his campaign a few months ago. Osinbajo has completely abstained from all campaign rallies, whereas Buhari has attended very few.
Many do not yet comprehend why members of the Aso Rock Villa, including some APC leaders, are not particularly concerned with Tinubu’s victory. In point of fact, there are rumors that some governors are secretly rubbing elbows with members of the opposition in preparation for the general election.
During his recent visit to Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State, the Jagaban was forced to reveal the extent of infighting that was tearing the party apart underneath because he could no longer hide the unfavorable development.
Tinubu had confronted the government led by Buhari regarding the redesign of the new naira notes and the persistent shortage of fuel, claiming that these two developments were sabotaging his ambition to become president.
Tinubu said that they were deliberately hoarding petrol and naira notes, which he thought would hurt his chances.
We will seize power from them with our PVC. We will trek despite their claim that there is no fuel. They’re jam-packed with hanky panky. They are cleverly causing a shortage of fuel. They are aware of where they store fuel, so fuel shortages should continue.
“We will vote, and we will win; you hoard the naira and fuel. We will prevail even if you change the ink on the naira notes. They disrupt the supply of fuel. We will vote whether they provide fuel or not. This revolution is superior. You know me. Tinubu declared in Yoruba, “We are going to prevail.”
The opposition flooded the media after Tinubu made the statement, interpreting it as an attack on President Buhari and his party, the APC.
Tinubu and his campaign team immediately began damage control after realizing that the statement could cause chaos within the party. They claimed that the presidential candidate was actually criticizing the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), not the APC-led Federal Government.
However, a lot of people want to know if President Buhari or the PDP are in charge of the Ministry of Petroleum. They also want to know whether the PDP or the Federal Government control the Nigerian Central Bank. During his campaign in Abeokuta, Tinubu made clear who he was referring to with this response.
Some Nigerians are wondering why the presidency is less concerned about Tinubu’s run for president.
There were indications that President Buhari had an anointed candidate among those interested in the presidential ticket prior to the APC primary. A sizable number of members of Buhari’s kitchen cabinet, his allies, and others were competing for the ticket, with the exception of Osinbajo.
Buhari had met with party governors before the primary and told them to let him choose his successor in the same way they chose theirs.
Buhari instructed the governors: In accordance with the party’s established internal policies and as we get closer to the convention in a few days, I would like to ask Governors and other stakeholders for their cooperation and support in selecting my replacement, who would represent our party at the election for President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2023.
“We offered governors the chance to choose their successors or tickets to re-election; allow me to select my replacement.
Despite the fact that Buhari did not name his choice, Tinubu began to speak forcefully once he realized that he was unlikely to be Buhari’s chosen candidate.
The observation about Abeokuta In the lead-up to the APC presidential primary in June 2022, Tinubu went to Abeokuta to ask party delegates for their support. Tinubu recalled how he helped Buhari to power after the former Army General had cried on live television at the Presidential Lodge in Ibara Housing Estate, where he met party leaders.
In addition, he asserted that he was the one who suggested Osinbajo as Buhari’s running mate following Bukola Saraki’s opposition to the Muslim-Muslim ticket.
Osinbajo was being referred to as a “betrayer” in the Tinubu camp because he was also running against Tinubu for the APC ticket at the time.
He tried once, but he didn’t succeed. He tried again, but he didn’t succeed. He failed on his third attempt. He even wept on television, declaring that he would never again run for president. I met him and assured him that this is not a crying matter: You will be president and we will support you. Tinubu stated in Yoruba, “He wouldn’t have become the president if it weren’t for me.”
Tinubu was told not to claim that he was the one who made Buhari president on his own, which was said to have angered the President and his appointees.
Garba Shehu, a aide to the president’s media, issued the following statement: The president was advised to run again by some; those who made the decision to form the APC, a political party that might finally be the one that can win elections in places where all other opposition parties and alliances had failed.
It’s possible that a few people came to those decisions together. However, tens of millions of people voted for them and thousands of them were delivered. Nobody should or can assert that they made this possible.
It was thought that Tinubu’s irate comment in Abeokuta in June helped him win the APC nomination because it kept the president away from the APC convention.
However, it remains to be seen whether Tinubu’s most recent Abeokuta comment will also result in a positive action from the presidency.