The Director, Special Duties (iv) of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Chief Ayiri Emami, has given reasons why certain elements in government are working against the party’s presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The APC chieftain from Delta state said the cabal are afraid of Tinubu’s knowledge about the workings of governmence, hence they are afraid of their interests.
According to Emami, Tinubu knows a lot about governance, he knows what to do to make sure that this place (Nigeria) works. And if it works, there are persons there doing dubious things would not be able to do it again, hence the efforts to stop him.
The APC presidential candidate had recently attributed the ongoing fuel scarcity and non availability of the New Naira Notes as part of an orchestrated plot to frustrate his ambition.
Also, the Kaduna state governor Nasir El-Rufai, alledged on Channels TV Sunrise Daily that a certain cabal in the presidency whose favoured candidate lost out in the APC presidential convention were the arrow head of the plot to sabotage Tinubu’s ambition.
Speaking with newsmen Sunday in Abuja, Chief Ayiri Emami, said the cabal in the Villa wanted a pliable candidate, not a strong willed and experienced member of the party to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari.
The APC chieftain revealed that the said cabal are afraid of a successor with a strong social and political network and capacity to correct the error in governance.
Emami said: “Let me use myself as an example. Even in our small community. If you know your right and you know what you are doing and you want to lead, many people will come after you, because a lot of people don’t want somebody that understand the system to lead because all they know is how to manipulate. Asiwaju knows the inner workings of governance. I am not saying that he knows it all.
“So you will see every day all kinds of battles, all kind of blackmail, all kind of way to stop him and that is how I see Asiwaju. He knows a lot about governance, he knows what to do to make sure that this place (Nigeria) works. And if it works, there are persons there doing dubious things would not be able to do it again. So, if such a person is to take over, it won’t be an easy battle because they know he knows the inner workings of government and can’t be manipulated.”
He also said with the revelations coming from the APC Governors’ meeting last Friday with President Buhari it is now clear to Nigerians that the Naira notes design did not enjoy the buy-in of the APC led administration at all levels.
“They are not policies of the APC at all. Because if they are the policies of the APC, everybody would be involved. These are policies of some few persons to sabotage. Why introduce such policies during the election?”
Asked to comment on the perceived indifference of President Buhari to the APC Presidential candidates campaign, Chief Emami told newsmen that it was not indicative of any lack of commitment or cold war between Tinubu and Buhari.
“To me, even his own election, it was other people that were actually championing his campaign. So, I just feel that that is his normal style. All humans are not the same. Tinubu is a workaholic, during the 2014/2015, he did that. At a time, even during the primary somebody that was contesting, like President Muhammadu Buhari said I don’t have money to give to the delegates.
“For example, if he was not the one contesting, people would have said this man is a wicked man. Then, he was the one contesting and he could make that kind of statement in the public while canvassing for votes at the campaign ground.
“To me, it is his lifestyle, even if he is supporting you, it is not that type that comes out to the public and say it. But what we’re trying to see is that those saboteurs within should please retreat. Let’s go into a proper contest. I don’t see any problem. To me, I know that Buhari is supporting us because he had said it publicly and that is one Muslim man that I believe that once he swears by the Quran, he stands by it.”
