Unlike Buhari, I am not under constraint to reconcile with Saraki, says Tinubu

Bola Tinubu, national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), is still unhappy with Senate President Bukola Saraki over his emergence as head of the red chamber against the wish of the party.

Saraki went into an alliance with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to beat Ahmad Lawan, who had the endorsement of the party.

The situation led to a crisis in the party, forcing the leadership of APC to keep Saraki at arm’s length.

Until recently, President Muhammadu Buhari refused to acknowledge the senate president and at some points turned down all the peace entreaties made by Saraki.

But both men have met at the presidential villa in Abuja at least twice in less than two weeks, giving rise to the belief they have resolved their differences.

However, in his reaction to a recent report in a newspaper, which claimed that he was conspiring with Saraki to frustrate the ministerial screening at the senate, Tinubu said he would not hold such a conversation with Saraki, whom he described as an opportunist.

He said those behind the report were only trying to create animosity between him and the president.

Tinubu said he had nothing against the nominees, adding that he had come a long way in making this government work and would not undermine its progress.

“Given the exigencies of his position, President Buhari is placed in an unenviable position to some degree. The duties of his office give him no choice; necessity constrains him, requiring that he discourse with Senator Saraki,” read a statement issued on Tinubu’s behalf by Sunday Dare, his spokesman.

“As party leader, Asiwaju is free of such constraints. He remains glued to the party decision that the manner by which Saraki captured his current seat travestied party discipline. It was a crass act of disloyalty showing that Saraki may have joined the APC on paper but has remained true to the malpractices and wrong aims of the reactionary PDP in his soul.

“The idea of an alleged conspiracy between Tinubu and Saraki against the president is an execrable lie. Without any proof except the veil of innuendo. The story proclaims that the government is surveilling Asiwaju Tinubu because of his purported unhappiness about the ministerial list.

“There has been no substantive communication between Asiwaju and Saraki since the latter decided to foul the integrity of the senate and the party.

“Those who midwifed this garish tale give birth not to truth but to lies intended to kill APC unity and to retard the Buhari administration’s strategic reform initiatives, as earlier outlined by our party manifesto. Their claim is that Tinubu has joined with Saraki to scuttle the president’s ministerial nominations. They have misfired.

“This ambiguity is in part purposeful; their villainy seeks to place the innocent on edge and to cause those who must work together if the nation is to progress to begin to doubt the bona fides of each other.  With such a story, they hope to break the walls of confidence so that they may kindle mutual animus between the President and Tinubu. By getting the two to fight and weaken each other, they may then swoop down to destroy both.

“Their wrong is a great wrong.  Like the rest of us, Asiwaju Tinubu waited for the president to select his cabinet. The majority of the selections have been made. There is nothing to do but congratulate the appointees and pray for them. Their responsibilities are vast, the future of the nation now rests on their shoulders. The challenges before them are manifold and daunting. Those who want the best for Nigeria can only hope that these people succeed. The only intervention that Asiwaju Tinubu would make is one of encouragement. He would charge them to remain true to the progressive vision of the party and our president. None should allow themselves to be enticed to join league with those who would cast us back into the old mold of PDP governance: to Pilfer, Destroy and Pillage.  Instead they should cohere faithfully to the enlightened programmes and promises made by our party and this government.

“Other than voice this encouragement, Bola Tinubu will never say a negative word or lift a finger to forestall anyone’s approval before the senate.”

Tinubu advised Saraki not to allow his ongoing trial at the code of conduct bureau affect the screening, saying any attempt to do so would amount to a great disservice to the nation.

“To be truthful, I don’t think Saraki would care to hear what Asiwaju would have to say to him. He would admonish the senator to treat the nomination process with dispatch, justice, fairness, transparency, and most of all with the greatest patriotism,” the statement read.

“He would counsel Saraki to shelve his personal situation for the moment to concentrate on the people’s business. It would be a grave mistake and abuse of office for Saraki to directly or indirectly inject his personal matter into the approval process. Saraki should not link the approval of a single minister to his desire for extrajudicial treatment of his issues.”