The Presidency has distanced President Muhammadu Buhari from what it terms a ‘malicious campaign’ aimed at driving a wedge between him and a staunch ally, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
In a statement on Friday, the president’s special adviser on media, Garba Shehu, said those attempting to estrange the two leaders are doing so with reference to a statement President Buhari made in a recent interview.
According to Mr. Shehu, the president stated in the interview that nobody but the APC would determine the zoning and selection of where the next president will come from.
The president’s special aide said the twisting of his principal’s statement is nothing short of a mischievous attempt to drag Buhari into controversies. Shehu urged citizens and especially the members of the All Progressives Congress, APC not to fall for the scheme.
Buttressing his point further, the special adviser said the mention Buhari made of Lagos was not a reference to the respected party leader, Senator Bola Tinubu as the “opposition party’s predatory designs” would put it in order to damage the excellent relationship between the two of them.
He maintained that President Buhari, the Asiwaju, and the rapidly growing members of the party want a dynastic succession of elected leaders, adding that the APC should not be distracted from its progress as a democratic party.
“The Ruling party, the APC, unlike others before it is a popular political party owned by its entire membership, hence Mr. President was making the point during the 45-minutes interview that neither he nor anyone in the leadership could impose their wishes on the party.
“This is a basic consensus that binds the entire party leadership.
“The party leaders remain firmly committed to the principles that succession must be through the democratic norms and processes,” the president’s special adviser assured.