The National Leader of the All Progressives Congress and presidential aspirant, Bola Tinubu, says his speech while addressing APC delegates in Ogun State did not demonstrate any disrespect for President Muhammadu Buhari.

He said the fresh conditions proposed by President Buhari for choosing the APC presidential candidate made it necessary for him to convince the delegates that he is capable to be the next President of Nigeria.

Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State, had in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital on Thursday said Buhari would not have won the 2015 presidential election if not for his intervention.

Tinubu had said he led the political struggle that produced the President in 2015, adding that he also nominated Vice President Yemi Osinbajo as Buhari’s running mate.

“If not me that led the war front, Buhari wouldn’t have emerged. He contested first, second and third times, but lost. He even said on television that he won’t contest again.

“But I went to his home in Katsina. I told him you would contest and win, but you won’t joke with the matters of the Yorubas. Since he has emerged I have not been appointed minister. I didn’t get contract.

“This time, it’s Yoruba turn and in Yorubaland, it’s my tenure,” the presidential aspirant had said.

Tinubu’s assertion was however greeted with wide condemnations from Nigerians.

The presidential aspirant, while reacting to the denunciations, said he has high regard for President Buhari, whose re-election campaign he chaired in 2019.

He made this known via a statement issued and made available to The Star on Friday by the Director, Media and Communications of Tinubu Campaign Organisation, Bayo Onanuga.

Onanuga stated that the campaign organisation was surprised at the way the opposition parties and Tinubu’s traducers turned his statement to give an interpretation the presidential hopeful “did not mean and did not say”.

He added that the former Lagos State Governor did not denigrate any ethnic group in the country.

Onanuga stated: “While we recognise that recent unexpected interventions in the timetable and the heat generated by the proximity of the event might have led to some anxiety, this campaign organisation believes that the main thrust of Asiwaju’s presentation, was that his huge contributions to the formation and electoral success of the All Progressives Congress should count in his favour as a true party man who desires to be the flag bearer.

“There is also no doubt that the fresh conditions proposed by President Muhammadu 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.

“The campaign was surprised at the way the opposition and Tinubu’s traducers had turned his statement to give an interpretation Tinubu did not mean and did not say.

“At no time did Tinubu play any ethnic card or denigrate any ethnic group. That is surely out of his character, as Engineer David Babachir Lawal, attested in his viral whatsApp statement.

“Tinubu’s speech in Abeokuta did not demonstrate any disrespect to President Buhari, for whom he has 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 Tinubu campaign is not surprised why the opposition in the APC have decided to turn and twist the statement.

“The former Lagos governor, a great party man remains the man to beat at the party’s convention on Monday.

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

“The campaign organisation hereby appeals 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.

The Star