The Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has said that its presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu did not mention, blame or accuse President Muhammadu Buhari of the current challenges in the country.
Tinubu had while speaking during the APC presidential campaign held at the MKO Abiola stadium, Kuto, Abeokuta, Ogun State said the lingering fuel crisis and naira redesign by the Central Bank of Nigeria were part of the plot to scuttle the poll and his envisaged victory.
"They don't want this election to hold. They want to scuttle it. Will you allow them? They have started coming up with the issue of 'no fuel'. Don't worry, if there is no fuel, we will trek to cast the vote. If you like, increase the price of fuel, hide the fuel or change the ink on the naira notes, we will win the election... Let the price of fuel continue to increase, they are the ones that know where they are hoarding it. They are hoarding naira notes, they are hoarding fuel, we will vote and we will win. If you like, change the ink in the naira note, we will win the election, the opposition will be defeated," Tinubu had said.
But the Director, Media and Publicity, APC PCC, Bayo Onanuga in a statement issued Thursday said Nigerians should no longer be in doubt about those working in cahoots with fifth columnists in the system to inflict avoidable pains on the hapless people for political end.
He said no sooner than Tinubu empathised with the Nigerian people facing the dual crises of fuel and new Naira notes scarcity, than the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Atiku camp issued a knee-jerk response, derailing from the issues, distorting Tinubu's statement and trying, in vain, to create a wedge between him and Buhari.
The campaign noted that Tinubu was only calling the government's attention to the sabotage being carried out by some fifth Columnists in the system, possibly working in cahoots with the PDP.
Onanuga stressed that when the guilty are afraid of being uncovered, they try to push back with red-herring
He said: "For the records, Asiwaju Tinubu during APC campaign rally at Abeokuta on Wednesday, in his statement, did not mention, blame or accuse President Muhammadu Buhari for the current challenges in the country.
"The CBN officials, including Governor Godwin Emefiele have said many times that new Naira notes have been supplied to the banks, yet our people complain that they have not been able to get the new notes.
"In recent days, many ATMs are either not working or when working they are dispensing the old notes, just a few days to the January 31 deadline."
Onanuga stressed that Tinubu was aware of the salutary efforts by Buhari to end the fuel queues, by chairing a 14-man panel, yet the queues and agony continue.
He added that for a presidential candidate, who cares about the suffering of the people, he has a duty to warn the government that its efforts to make life better for Nigerians are being sabotaged on several fronts.
According to him, Our presidential candidate only re-echoed what is well known and acknowledged, even by President Buhari himself at different fora: That there are Fifth Columnists in and outside of government who often throw spanners in the works against good intentions and programmes of the government.
Onanuga said how does an advisory genuinely made by Tinubu to protect and create goodwill for the government of his party become an attack? Saying it could only be so in the jaundiced view of the PDP.
He added: "It is in this light we found amusing the directionless Atiku Campaign's bagful of mischief in their hurriedly put together press statement meant to gain shameful mileage from the suffering of Nigerians.
"PDP and Atiku should remember not to get high on their own smoke. No political blackmail and an attempt to create a conflict between Tinubu and his long-term ally, President Muhammadu Buhari can succeed.
"We have bad news for Atiku and his handlers: their latest mischief is therefore doomed to fail.
The Atiku rudderless campaign, always seeking cheap shots and easy ways has again woefully attempted to make a mountain out of a molehill from the comments made by Asiwaju Tinubu in Abeokuta."
Onanuga stressed that as a patriotic and compassionate leader, Tinubu would not stomach seeing ordinary Nigerians being made to face excessive difficulties over mundane issues due to activities of petrol and currency hoarders.
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He said as a proud leader of the APC, Tinubu would not also look indifferent as his party the government get dirtied with black brush at a critical time like this, whether he is a candidate or not.
Onanuga stressed: "Atiku camp's hasty move to mine political capital out of the clearly difficult situation betrays his campaign's possible connivance, due to its desperation
"As Asiwaju said in Abeokuta, these orchestrated hardships will not stop his impending victory come 25 February. Nigerians shall surely vote for a party that is working to solve all the problems and mess created by the PDP for which their presidential candidate was an integral part in the, largely, 16 unproductive years they spent in government."
Onanuga said Atiku and his team could continue their indulgence in fake news and twisted narratives, but they cannot change the minds of the majority of Nigerians who have long rejected the PDP and Atiku, after their 16 wasted years in power.
