In a statement, Garba Shehu, presidential spokesperson, said it is not
true that both leaders are at war as being speculated following the
crisis rocking the ruling APC.
The statement reads:
The removal of the APC leadership known to have been backed the party’s
National Leader had fuelled suspicion of a fractious relationship
between the duo.
The very essence of the requests put to the Emergency National Executive
Committee meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) by President
Muhammadu Buhari, which were unanimously approved aim to pull back the
party, faced with an existential crisis from the brink of collapse,
follow the constitution and take everyone along.
While this action has been widely accepted with great relief by lovers
of democracy and the rank and file of the membership, we are concerned
that political vulturism masquerading as “smart analysis” is selling the
commentary that this is a Buhari-Tinubu “showdown.” Nothing can be
farther from the truth.
To put the records straight: In the formation of this great party and
giving it leadership, President Buhari and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu,
who are reckoned as the founding fathers of the APC are both inspired by
democratic norms, national interest and not at all by partisan
motivations. These are the qualities that have made them move past
cynical distractions.
They are in touch with one another. Their relationship remains as strong
as ever and between the two of them, only they know how they manage
their enviable relationship.
Try as hard as they could, the opposition parties have used all their
intellectuals and their supporters in the media to break this
relationship and have failed. And they won’t.
For President Buhari who has received much of the cynical commentary,
Nigerians know him as someone who will not do anything with bad
intentions. Neither will he do anything out of partisan motivations or
for himself.
This whole exercise, that should lead to massive reform and overhaul of
the leadership of the party, as he said in that brilliant speech, was
”to save the APC from the imminent self-destruction. We have to move
ahead. We have to take everyone with us and ensure that the party is run
in accordance with democratic norms and with consensus. We have to work
for the benefit of the country.”
The leaders of the party, who have received two successive massive
mandates to govern the country and a majority of the states should be
judged by how this exercise turns out in achieving these objectives, not
cursed at the mere commencement of the process.