Tinubu’s campaign organisation clarifies speech, says Asiwaju didn’t disrespect Buhari, North

The Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu Presidential Campaign Organisation, has said that the recent speech made by the National Leader of the All Progressive Congress, APC, Tinubu in Abeokuta, on his presidential ambition did not demonstrate any disrespect to President Muhammadu Buhari or the northern region.

The Director, Media and Communications of the group, Bayo Onanuga, who disclosed this in a statement on Friday said, at no time did Tinubu play any ethnic card or denigrate any ethnic group.

KEMI FILANI NEWS had reported that Tinubu while addressing Ogun State APC delegates in Abeokuta on Thursday stated that Buhari would not have emerged president without his help in 2015.

According to Onanuga, the main thrust of Tinubu’s presentation was to highlight his huge contributions to the formation and electoral success of the APC, which should count in his favour, as a true party man who desires to be the flag bearer.

“That is surely out of his character, as Engineer David Babachir Lawal, attested in his viral whatsApp statement. Tinubu’s speech did not demonstrate any disrespect to Buhari for whom he has a very high regard, and whose re-election campaign he chaired in 2019.

“Since the video of the speech he delivered in Yoruba hit the social media, varied interpretations have been given to the speech, which in the main was about Governor Abiodun, who in the true tradition of Yoruba culture bowed to his leader after Tinubu’s short speech,” the statement partly read.

Onanuga explained that the fresh conditions proposed by Buhari for the consideration of a presidential candidate of the party made it necessary for Asiwaju to labour to convince the delegates that he fits the bill.

“We are least surprised that he is the target of well-calculated and most unkind virulent attacks,” he said.

He continued; “In his effort to convince the party delegates to vote for him at the primaries, he went down memory lane to provide specific instances when he brought his political clout and strategic skills to assist individuals, groups and tendencies in the party to gain political power.

“These factual references are already in the public realm. They have been reported and analysed in the media in the last eight years. They are therefore matters of public knowledge,” he said.

Meanwhile, the campaign organisation has appealed to the media to avoid over-sensationalising issues of facts and play its constitutional role of informing the electorate to make informed choices at the presidential primaries.