•City People Reveals All The Behind The Scene Details
All is not well among the APC Leaders, at the national level. They are sharply divided. Some are in support of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the APC presidential candidate and they are not hiding it.
Some are not for him, but they pretend to be. But they are working against his chances of winning behind the scene. They can’t come out openly to say so. So they are working from behind to scuttle his chances.
That is why the polity is heating up, as 2023 general elections is fast approaching. It’s only a few days away, and top political players have been making “dangerous moves” to gain and attract more votes from the electorates.
The body language of top APC members in the Buhari government at the center still remains unclear as to where their allegiance lies, as regards the presidential election. Even President Buharis position remains unclear also. Political observers insist that the President has not shown sufficient commitment to the presidential candidate of his party, APC. His recent Premium Times online interview points to this, they alledge, wherein he told Nigerians to vote for anybody they want from any party.
Yet, Pres. Buhari is the leader of the APC. How come he is not asking for people to support the candidate of his party, they wonder. Many have also faulted the lacklustre attitude that the President displayed during his recent appearances in a few states where he went to campaign for Tinubu. The confusion facing, APC at the National level is so obvious now, observed a political analyst. It did not just start now.
Recall that, when it was a few days to the last APC Convention the same thing happened. There was confusion in the APC camp as regards who should be the flagbearer of the party. It can be recalled that some Cabal in the APC government were against Asiwaju’s emergence as party flagbearer. But he eventually won the ticket against all odds
The truth of the matter is that same cabal is uncomfortable with Asiwaju. The fear is that, it will be difficult to control, manipulate and influence him if he gets to power.
One of the recent policies that alot of people say was targetted against Asiwaju is the new CBN naira redesign policy. According to one political analyst, the new CBN policy is to curb a certain politician like Asiwaju from winning because it is believed he has funds to influence the outcome of the election.
At a recent a Press conference addressed by the Central Bank of Nigeria, governor, Godwin Emefiele, he said N2.7 trillion out of N3.23 trillion of the total money in circulation is outside the banks’ vaults.
He reiterated that one of the core reasons behind the redesigning is to ensure all the currencies outside the bank vaults return, and the CBN regains control of money in circulation. This is a strategic blow against politicians who have saved trillions of naira in their houses to influence 2023 elections. The strategic step will put pressure on politicians who are not popular in their constituencies. One of the most sought-after commodities right now in Nigeria, is voter’s card; not just any, but the permanent one which goes by the acronym PVC. And this policy was put in place under 3 months before the general election.
When President Buhari spoke to Premium Times, he reiterated that there is no goimg back on the policy. But the most controvertial statement he made in the interview was when he said Nigerians should vote whoever they want to vote for from any party. A lot of people have faulted the president on this because he is the APC leader. It’s because of this and many other reasons many feel Tinubu will be betrayed by his party.
It has also been said that this government is trying to demarket Tinubu in order for him to lose to a Fulani man. According to a popular politician who doesn’t want his name mentioned, electricity in the country has become worse for some weeks now and no one from the government is talking. They have turned deaf ears. A few days to the general elections, the fuel scarcity across Nigeria has become a big problem for the APC government to address. For the first time, no one or agency has spoken as to why the fuel scarcity has persisted.
This is the reason Tinubu spoke about the cabals hidden plans to discourage people to vote for him in the coming election.
The rally held at the MKO Abiola International Stadium in Abeokuta was attended by top APC leaders at the state and national levels.
Tinubu alleged that some powerful individuals in the country were behind the fuel crisis and scarcity of the new naira notes, saying they intend to scuttle the coming election.
The APC presidential candidate called on the citizens to remain resolute and resist any attempt to stop the elections. He described the forthcoming elections as “a revolution” that would usher in new government.
Tinubu stated, “We will use our PVCs to take over government from them. If they like let them create fuel crisis, even if they say there is no fuel, we will trek to vote. They are full of mischief; they could say there is no fuel. They have been scheming to create fuel crisis, but forget about it. Relax, I Asiwaju, have told you that the issue of fuel supply will be permanently addressed.
“Whoever wants to eat the honey embedded in a mountain won’t worry about the axe. Is that not so? And if you want to eat palm kernel, you would bring stone and use it to break it, then the kernel will come out.
Let them increase the price of fuel, let them continue to hoard fuel, only they know where they have hoarded fuel, they hoarded money, they hoarded naira; we will go and vote and we will win. Even if they change the ink on naira notes, whatever their plans, it will come to naught. We are going to win. Those in the PDP will lose.”
Tinubu added, “I am a homeboy, I have come here, you will not be put to shame. We will take over the government from them, the traitors who wanted to contest with us. They had no experience.
The great Nigerian youth, the great Nigerian students, the confident Nigerian youth. This is a revolution. This election is a revolution. 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 hold, they want to scuttle it. Do you agree?
“On this one, I’m guaranteeing you one thing: there will be student loan. Nobody will drop out of the university because of school fees. I guarantee you that. Nobody will have to repeat for eight years and not graduate.
We are too smart, we are brilliant, we are courageous, we are sharp, we will make a four years course be for four years. Do you agree?
“Will you vote whether there is fuel or not? Call your sister, we are bringing revolution. Let me say what’s on my mind. The other day, I told you. This one too, they think they can cause crisis by sabotaging fuel supply. They are sabotaging the fuel supply. Whether there is fuel or not, whether there is Okada (motorcycle) or not, whether there is tricycle or not, we will go and vote and we shall win.
This is a revolution and when I tell you, you know what I mean. You know me, we are going there to win.”
Tinubu also called on the people of Ogun State to go all out and collect their Permanent Voter’s Cards (PVCs) at the offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). He said they would be able to ensure his victory if they made it a duty to collect their PVCs.
Another plot against him is the issue of Insecurity across the country. A few weeks back, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has taken full responsibility for the postponement of the elections. He said if the insecurity in the country persists, the election may be postponed. This is another way to also fustrate Tinubu since he’s been touted as one of the favourites to win the presidential election.
Another big reason is that, Buhari’s body language hasn’t fully supported Tinubu or campaigned for him. Though it has been said that, Buhari will campaign for Tinubu in 10 states but his body language says otherwise.
A few months back, Sahara Reporters reported that top APC members were secretely working behind to support Atiku.
“President Muhammadu Buhari and members of the Aso Rock cabal are plotting to retain power in the Northern region in 2023, a presidential source has informed SaharaReporters.
According to the source, Buhari and members of the cabals are secretly supporting Atiku Abubakar, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party against Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The cabals including some members of Buhari’s extended family and friends are the powers behind the throne.
The group, led by Buhari’s nephew, Mamman Daura, is said to have the ears of the President, influence policies and determine those who get major appointments.
The source added that Buhari before the May 28, PDP’s presidential primary approved the payment of billions of naira to settle debts that the government owed some companies linked to Atiku.
Do you know why Atiku doesn’t really care about (Rivers State Governor, Nyesom) Wike and others? It’s because President Buhari and the cabal are supporting him,” he said.
“Buhari gave him monies that were owed him to enable him win the PDP primary. He asked the richest man in Katsina, Dahiru Mangal, to defect to PDP and support Atiku; the reason Atiku is calling Wike’s bluff.
“With Atiku from the North, as a presidential candidate, they have asked top northerners to work for him irrespective of party affiliation.”
The Rivers Governor, Wike, had recently alleged that Abubakar was arrogant because someone in the presidency was backing him.
The governor said the same forces at the presidency promised someone the APC presidential ticket but failed to deliver it.
“Why are they being so arrogant? They are arrogant because they believe somebody in the presidency is backing them. But what they don’t understand is the same person in the presidency backed somebody as APC presidential aspirant, and the person failed,” he had said.
“I will tell Nigerians at the appropriate time who is that person in the presidency that is backing them that they are being arrogant.”
SaharaReporters in 2021 reported how some members of the Aso Rock cabal asked President Buhari to place Tinubu on the watch list.
They had accused Tinubu of sabotaging the war against insecurity in the country and instigating Nigerians, especially those from his South-West region, against the Buhari-led government.The group urged the President to order security agencies to investigate the activities of the APC stalwart.
“They accused him (Tinubu) of instigating Nigerians against Buhari. He was also accused of sponsoring different groups to cause unrest across the country.
“I think they (cabals) think this is another method to tame Tinubu ahead of the 2023 elections after a lot of noise in the APC in which his allies lost out. They are doing everything within their power to stop the President from supporting Tinubu’s ambition come 2023,” a presidential source had told SaharaReporters.
Tinubu, a former Lagos State Governor, played a key role in the political merger of parties in 2013 which created the APC.
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