Abuja — The Ohanaeze Youths Movement and the Ethnic Youth Leaders across Nigeria have cautioned the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, over his recent utterance about President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration.
The ruling party's presidential candidate had, during his campaign in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, Wednesday, alleged that the Buhari administration was using the raging fuel scarcity and the recently-introduced naira notes and cash handling policies of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to blunt his chances at the ballot box next month.
Reacting, the Ohanaeze Youth group, in a statement signed by its Secretary General, Nwada Amaka, said Tinubu should wait to be elected before declaring war on Buhari's economic and electoral reforms.
The group frowned on the presidential candidate's "unguarded utterances and his entitlement mentality".
It added that President Buhari had done enough to show him support this campaign season.
Part of the statement read: "In the past few months, Buhari has indicated his intention to allow a level-playing field during the upcoming election. The president said he backed CBN's decision to redesign naira notes in order to restore control over the money supply.
"However, it seems Tinubu appeared not only to distance himself from the good policies by CBN but to insinuate a conspiracy against him by President Muhammadu Buhari.
"It is not surprising because Tinubu and his supporters have a niche for influencing elections with money through various means, including vote buying. He should wait to be elected before declaring war on Buhari's economic and electoral reforms."
Similarly, the Ethnic Youth leaders have called on Tinubu to focus on his campaigns and "stop his unnecessary, unguarded utterance about the Buhari-led administration".
The Ethnic Leaders, who stated this in a joint statement signed on their behalf by the Leader of the Arewa Youths, Mallam Kabiru Yusuf, warned Tinubu to stop undermining Buhari's economic and electoral reforms.
The groups described Tinubu's statement as unfair, saying that Buhari is neither hoarding fuel nor the naira.
The groups added that attacking the President who has shown him support since commencement of his campaign won't help Tinubu's determination to win, rather he's creating doubts in people's mind on if they should vote for him.
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Their statement read in part, "The outburst accrued to the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is unfair to Buhari.
"He's deliberately trying to undermine Buhari's economic and electoral reforms, in his desperate bid to win election.
"Why is he acting like he's not getting enough support from President Muhammadu Buhari? In the past few months, Buhari has indicated his intention to allow a level-playing field during the upcoming election.
"The President said he backed CBN's decision to redesign naira notes in order to restore control over the money supply.
"This should be a welcomed development for any politician who means well for Nigerians, rather Tinubu has become frustrated by his inability to stop the cashless policy and currency redesign of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) that will curb vote buying and enhance the credibility of next month's election."
