Tinubu on 2019: I won’t sponsor anyone or contest against Buhari

NATIONAL leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Tinubu, has denied gearing up for presidential race in the 2019 election against President Muhammadu Buhari, describing such report as false and aimed to create division where there was none.

The APC chieftain said he would never contest against President Buhari or support any candidate against him.

Tinubu, reacting to a newspaper report, with the headline: “Tinubu prepares for presidential run, dumps PDP, mega party, all,” said everything about the story was utterly wrong.

In a statement signed by his spokesman, Tunde Rahman, the former governor of Lagos State noted that the report was out to place him at odds with President Buhari, adding that “writing such a baseless report is a very foul and wrong thing to do.

“First, Tinubu is not gearing up for a presidential run. So there will not be any doubt about this core matter. We shall state Tinubu’s position clearly and unequivocally, so that even reporters cannot misinterpret his position.

“As long as that patriotic and committed man named Muhammadu Buhari holds and seeks to hold the mantle as our president, then Tinubu stands behind him in unwavering support and confidence.

“Tinubu remains faithful to the mission of progressive reform and change that President Buhari, himself and the APC have started. Tinubu was instrumental in the formation and success of the APC. His toil and efforts helped establish this government.  He is not one to tear down something he laboured so dutifully to build.

“Tinubu supports and stands behind President Buhari. He wishes the president well and that he returns soon. Whether the president is here or away, he has the full loyalty of Senator Tinubu. President Buhari can be rest assured on this point: Senator Tinubu will never contest against him nor will he support anyone who does.”

The APC chieftain further stated that the brief banter he had with journalists at the inauguration of Ondo State governor, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, when asked about his future political office, was misinterpreted.

“When asked about future political office, Tinubu said he could not discount that possibility if the nation called upon him for such service, provided (he emphasised) that all political conditions were appropriate; particularly the office in question would have to be vacant, even if it’s local government chairmanship. In our political lexicon, this means the office is not held by a member of the APC in good standing. We all know this.

“Moreover, if you really listen to his words, he did not mention any office or any time-frame.  The conditions he mentioned may not become ripe for years to come and they might not pertain to the Presidency.  In effect, all Asiwaju said was the position that any political figure would hold.

“As a politician, he cannot preclude the possibility of running for office in the future because no man knows what the future will hold. To translate this general statement of political reality into a tale that he is actively preparing for a 2019 presidential run is reckless in the extreme.

“Senator Tinubu has not held any planning meetings for any such presidential campaign and is not contemplating any such meetings. He has no present list of possible running mates because he has no present intention of running,” the statement added.

He descibed as shameless, the assertion that he would join the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), adding that “Senator Tinubu is acknowledged to be the intellectual father and the driving force behind the APC. It makes no sense that he would abandon the party that he worked hard to build in order to enter the dilapidated building the PDP has become.

“He worked for over 16 years to break the PDP yoke on the nation. After breaking that yoke, it is not in his nature to voluntarily place it back on our necks. Anyone who has followed his career, even his staunchest critics, knows Tinubu for his partisan consistency. He is not a party hopper. He is loyal and sticks with the party to which he belongs.

“After fighting for so many years to elevate his party to the position of national leadership, he would not give that away in order to join with those who blame him for their currently bleak political circumstance,” it added.