National leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has described the exit of Senate President Bukola Saraki and Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, as moves informed by mere personal ambition and not the interest of the nation.
Tinubu stated this in a piece titled “They Go Away Because We Go The Right Way” issued on Sunday.
Tinubu said while Tambuwal left because he knew he could not compete with President Muhammadu Buhari in a primary to determine the party’s candidate for the presidential ticket of the APC, Saraki left because he knew that he would not win his senatorial seat let alone retain the post of Senate President beyond 2019.
Tinubu disclosed that the two men wanted automatic tickets which the party considered to be contrary to the principle of democracy.
Said Tinubu: “Governor Tambuwal’s exit can be distilled to one cause. He covets the presidency. However, he had not the stomach to challenge President Buhari in a primary. Tambuwal felt further insulted that he would be compelled to face a direct primary just to retain the governorship nomination. But for the promise made by PDP headliners like Rivers State Governor Wike that he would have the PDP presidential nomination, Tambuwal would not have left. His exit had nothing to do with governance of the nation. It was about forging a personal ambition predicated on the defeat of progressive reform not the advancement of it.
“Much the same for Senate President Saraki. Returning to the PDP, he harbours dreams of the presidency but Tambuwal’s ambition will dwarf Saraki’s when the two collide. If Saraki had remained in the APC, he would be unable to reclaim his Senate seat let alone the Senate Presidency. He thus bolted because he lusts for the presidency but was promised by the PDP, at least, a return to his position in the Senate.
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“For Saraki to talk about lack of governance is for him to deny who he is and the position he holds. This man stands as Nigeria’s Number 3 citizen. Clothed is he in ample power and influence. If he saw areas where government and the nation needed help, he could have easily applied his energies to these areas. He could have drafted legislation and easily got laws passed. However, no progressive enactment bears his name for he cared not for progress. He has been more focused on changing the rules of the Senate to favour himself and changing the order of elections so as to coincide with his selfish designs.”
Tinubu said the exit of the two men as well as a few others had been a blessing to the APC.
According to him, with their exit, the party would be focused on carrying out projects they believe would change the situation in the country for the better.
He said there would no longer be individuals who would hold the government back in its determination to make the people of the country benefit from the government.
“In a fundamental way, the APC may be better for their exit. It would be untrue to say their departures did not generate concern. As the air clears and we can better assess what is lost and gained by their exit, I can truthfully say the APC will be better off because they are gone.
“We can now focus more wholly on democratic governance inside and outside the party. Inside the party, we have adopted direct primaries to discourage corruption of the democratic process. Regarding public policy, we can now better articulate our progressive stance without having naysayers among complaining that we are going too far or that the good we seek for the people ought not to be done.
“We can more decisively push for the jobs program, expansion of social security for the poor, affordable housing programs and a viable mortgage system, national infrastructural program that will provide adequate power and potable water, basic health care for all, and educational reform. Each of these is important in itself. In combination, these objectives shall reshape the very landscape of our political economy. They shall bring fairness and prosperity where none has been. They will give the average person a government that serves them and the land that they deserve,” he said.
Tinubu said with the determination to forge ahead in the bid to serve the people, the political class would be offended.
However, according to him, the APC must have the courage to accept the reality and forge ahead no matter the foes aligned against it.
