By Dansu Peter
The recently renewed love with Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Bola Tinubu, the national leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC by President Muhammadu Buhari has unsettled the political foes of the later, popularly called "The Abuja Boys"
The said "Abuja Boys'' are the former allies and political godson; former and incumbent Governors, Ministers, commissioners whom the former Lagos State Governor, fondly called The Jagaban of Borgu, Tinubu has helped to reckoning in the political sphere.
"THESE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO WERE UNKNOWN POLITICALLY AND EVEN ONE OF THEM WAS PICKED UP FROM THE GUTTER; BUT BECAUSE THEY ARE NOW IN BUHARI’S CABINET OR GOT ELECTED THROUGH THE HELP OF ASIWAJU INTO POSITIONS EITHER AS GOVERNOR, LAWMAKER OR PARTY OFFICER, THEY NOW THINK THE BEST WAY TO PAY BACK ASIWAJU IS TO PLAY HIM JUDAS AND REDUCE HIM TO POLITICAL IRRELEVANCE"
According to The Point Newspaper, findings revealed that a recent move by President Buhari reportedly aimed at wooing Tinubu back, with the fact that another election beckons in 2019, is being quietly frustrated by the former Lagos governor’s political enemies currently in power. Buhari had expressed delight that Tinubu told him “things that I did not know before”, a comment that reportedly unsettled Tinubu’s haters.
His detractors, it was learnt, were outraged recently when the President travelled with Tinubu for the European Summit meeting, knowing the import of the new camaraderie.
A source at the Senate recently told The Point, “The President himself appreciates the weight of Tinubu’s political prowess; hence the need to clinch him at this pertinent period. You can see that Buhari has been involving him in various activities, including travelling. And apart from this, the two of them have been having various meetings and we know it’s all about 2019.”
When asked if the former governor’s antagonists had the capacity to once again make Tinubu unwanted by the President, the source replied, “The President is the head of government and he can decide many things as he likes.”
It was, however, gathered that the development has made “Tinubu’s foes” to start early work at their various states’ level, to ensure that “his mightiness is curtailed.”
In Kogi State, a chieftain of the party from Lokoja, Mr. Tajudeen Ajenomo, told our correspondent that some of the party’s stalwarts in the state were not in good terms with Tinubu and his supporters in the state.
According to him, the issue is not unconnected with political activities deriving from the last governorship election in the state.
“Though, Tinubu’s power is respected in Kogi State here, but let me tell you, our people do not want anything to do with him. They believe he was the one that was influencing Faleke. And you know, this has even made him and the governor not to be in good political terms,” Ajenomo said.
Meanwhile, an anonymous source in Bello’s administration also told our correspondent that “Governor Yahaya Bello is ready to influence his political allies in the APC against Tinubu and his candidates in the coming political dispensation.”
The Chairman, APC, Ekiti State, Chief Jide Awe, however, said, “There are many things going on in our party, which outsiders don’t know about.
“As I speak with you, the rift between Asiwaju Tinubu and our people in Ekiti has been settled. With the development in our party, we are as strong as whatever you can imagine. The rift between Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Kayode Fayemi with Otunba Niyi Adebayo, has been settled. Whoever believes they are still fighting is still living in the past. What is pertinent to us now is how to develop our people and win Ekiti State back into the fold of APC, and by God’s grace, we are going to win.”
Meanwhile, in Ogun State, both the APC and PDP are ready to combine forces to combat the supremacy of Bola Tinubu.
It was learnt that Governor Amosun is determined to ensure that a Tinubu candidate does not become his successor come 2019.
There are also indications that the Ogun State chapter of the opposition PDP may team up with the APC in the state to frustrate an alleged plan by Tinubu to impose his anointed candidate in 2019.
Already, there are speculations that Tinubu has ‘anointed’ the Senator currently representing Lagos West in the National Assembly, Solomon Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, as his candidate for the 2019 governorship election in Ogun.
Adeola and his supporters in the state have since embarked on subtle campaigns for the Ogun governorship seat in the next general elections.
The lawmaker is also from Ogun West, a zone to which the 2019 governorship slot has been conceded.
But Governor Amosun, said to be opposed to Tinubu’s alleged plan, has vowed not to hand over the reins of governance in the state to any politician not based in the state.
Amosun had, at a meeting with the leaders of Ogun West -Senator Adeola’s homestead, said that no politician from outside the state would succeed him as governor.
Our correspondent, however, gathered that the PDP in the state had begun moves to work with the Governor Amosun-led APC to ensure that Tinubu’s political tentacles did not spread to Ogun in 2019.
Confirming this development, a former chairman of the PDP in Ogun, Elder Joju Fadairo, told our correspondent that his party was ready to work with the ruling APC in the state to stop Tinubu from “imposing his anointed foreign candidate as governor on the people of the state in the 2019 poll.”
Fadairo argued that it would amount to the enslavement of the people of the state if a politician who had not been practising in the state, emerged the governor in 2019.
“It is an aberration for somebody who is not a participant in Ogun State politics to come from abroad or anywhere and say he wants to be our governor. That is unacceptable to me, the governor, and any reasonable person in Ogun State. You cannot ask somebody we don’t know to come and rule us. We are not going to take that,” he fumed.
Meanwhile, Tinubu has begun fresh moves to revive Alliance for Democracy, AD ahead of 2019, a party that once dominated the South West geo-political zone, under the supervision of the pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere
Trending.... EXCLUSIVE: 2019: Tinubu Moves To REVIVE AD; What he Discussed With Afenifere Leaders At Ondo Secret Meeting LEAKED
No comments