Tinubu
National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has finally confirmed speculations that he worked against a party he formed, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), during the 2011 presidential elections.
ACN had produced a former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Nuhu Ribadu, as its presidential candidate.
The top three contenders in that race were Ribadu, General Muhammadu Biuhari and incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan.
Speaking at Onikan Stadium during an Ndigbo APC governorship rally on Saturday, Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State, said “In 2011, I helped Jonathan become President because he made us believe he was a breath of fresh air.”
“I didn’t say because he was from Bayelsa that I would not help him. We voted for him because he promised to make our lives better. But now, he has failed us.”
Tinubu urged the Igbo in Lagos not to permit the politics of tribe and religion to influence their vote, and that they should support the APC so as to continue to reap the dividends of democracy.
“Igbo have lived here for years, and nobody has discriminated against them,” he said.
“No one would fight them because they are based in their land. No one can determine the tribe or family where he is born; it is only God that can”, he added.
The statement gives credence to reports that Tinubu was flown to Abuja to meet with the president just before the election.
He allegedly received billions in exchange for massive South-West votes in favour of President Jonathan.
The president won in all the South-West states, except Osun.
DAILY POST recalls that in August, Ribadu in a statement explaining why he dumped the APC for PDP, confirmed that he was traded in 2011 polls.
The statement reads in part: “I’m a young man and age is still on my side. I will not allow anyone to trade with me for the second time. It was wrong for Gov. Kwankwaso to describe my decision to join the PDP as a betrayal, because I consulted widely.
“The truth is that the APC does not have what it takes to change Nigeria, and any ambition driven by grievance, bitterness and vendetta cannot be said to possess any element of change. And it is only a matter of time and Nigerians will know who truly loves them.
“I think the APC would have done well without the aggrieved PDP governors. With due respect to Governor (Rotimi) Amaechi, he is simply hungry for power and does not know how to go about it, except with money.
“I may not know how to become the President of Nigeria, but I know it’s never for the highest bidder and it’s never up for sale. It’s an undeniable fact that President Jonathan has done well for Nigeria in such a very short time, and I think he is the answer to the prayer of many Nigerians.
“I must not be President, but I have vowed to support anyone who shares the same vision I have for Nigeria. And take it from me, President Jonathan has surpassed my vision for Nigeria”. .
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