He’s our leader — I have no problem with Tinubu, says Banire

Muiz Banire, national legal adviser of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), says he has no problem with Bola Tinubu, national leader of the party.

Banire, who served as commissioner in the two terms of Tinubu as Lagos governor, has been having a running battle with the leadership of the party in the state.

However, the disagreement reached its height in the buildup to the last local government election in the state.

Banire had accused stalwarts of the APC in Lagos of working against internal democracy and not allowing popular candidates to represent the party in the election.

His comment irked the leadership of the party in Lagos and they moved against him.

Banire’s ward in Mushin local government area announced his suspension over “anti-party activities” but the national leadership of the ruling party nullified the action.

Despite this, the state chapter continued with the disciplinary action, summoning him to appear before a panel, which he declined.

Speaking when he appeared on Politics Today, a programme on Channels Television, Banire described his opponents in the Lagos state chapter of the ruling party as “political jobbers”.

He said no legitimate body set up any panel to discipline him.

“As I am talking to you, no disciplinary committee has been put in place by any legitimate group. Of course, it is a continuous show of shame by those people that claim to be party members but unfortunately they do not even know the colour of the constitution of the APC talk much less the content,” he said.

“They lack the capacity in the first instance to even summon me, assuming that they are members of the APC. If you have seen the publication today by the authentic members of the APC in Mushin local government, you will see that these are strangers, these are political jobbers that are put together for a purpose. Unfortunately, they are just wasting the people’s resources in this regard. This is not the first one; they have just recently failed in compromising the national leaders of the party.”

Asked if his travails had anything to do with falling out of favour with Tinubu, he said, “I have no problem whatsoever – I have not fallen out with anybody much less Asiwaju (Tinubu) particularly. As far as I am concerned, Asiwaju is our leader; I have no issue with him.

“Those people who certainly are not for the rule of law can never be my friends. I am for the rule of law. It is as simple as that.”