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El-Rufai: Tinubu Planning Life Presidency, Not Genuine Democrat
El-Rufai: Tinubu Planning Life Presidency, Not Genuine Democrat
*Reno Omokri: I love Jonathan, but I will support Tinubu in 2027
Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja
A 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.
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.
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) said that Tinubu intended to take after some sit-tight African leaders who have failed to vacate their seats after spending decades in power.
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.
However, after the victory, el-Rufai’s hopes of serving in Tinubu’s cabinet were dashed as his ministerial nomination was blocked, a development perceived by the former Kaduna governor and his supporters as betrayal.
Since then, el-Rufai’s public commentary against the President has begun to harden, as he has ramped up his criticism of Tinubu’s style of governance and the short-term results of his economic reforms.
But at the meeting with Atiku, el-Rufai likened Tinubu to Cameroon’s Paul Biya, who has been the country’s 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.
“Honestly, to me, it’s 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’s all fake.
“Because 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’t all come together and end this Tinubu administration by 2027, Tinubu will try to be our Paul Biya.
“He 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’t have a choice,” el-Rufai maintained.
He urged Atiku to deploy his experience to ensure that there’s serious mobilisation to make sure that Tinubu does not return to power in 2027.
“You 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.
“Even 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,” the former minister emphasised.
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.
“I 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.
“I’m sure with your leadership, with your forbearance, and your diplomatic skills of bringing people together, I’m sure we will reach the promised land. That’s it for me,” el-Rufai said.
Also speaking, Atiku lauded el-Rufai for being fearless, agreeing with him on the need for unity among the ranks of the opposition.
“Anyway, I know you are not the kind of person who is scared that we will not confront this situation.The more reason why we should come together to confront this situation headlong and make sure that, one, it doesn’t 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,” he stated.
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 ‘APC-sponsored thugs’.
He reiterated that the activities of the Tinubu-led APC administration pose the greatest risk to Nigeria’s democracy since the return of democratic governance, positing that it is concerning that the administration has turned into a full-blown dictatorship.
He noted that the party resolved to harmonise its strengths and stand united in its resolve to ‘rescue Nigeria’.
“The 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,” Atiku stated.
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.
Speaking during an interview on Channels TV, Omokri stated that although he wasn’t willing to delve into such issues, he has decided to work for Tinubu in the run-up to the presidential polls.
“I 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. 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?” he said
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.
“I can only say this. In 2027, I will campaign vigorously for Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to return as president of Nigeria, and I believe he’s going to be re-elected. Listen, just to remove any equivocation, I’m going to say this.
“I’m 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.
“I’m telling you. I named my daughter after him. I mean, how many people can you do that for? I named my daughter after him. However, I’m 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 is going to be re-elected as president of Nigeria for a second time in 2027,” he maintained.
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*Reno Omokri: I love Jonathan, but I will support Tinubu in 2027 Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja A former Kaduna state Governor, Nasir el-Rufai at the weekend accused President Bola Tinubu
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