- President has mandate of Nigerians -- APC
Former Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has called on former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to rally Nigerians to oust President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027, claiming that Tinubu wants to make himself a "life president."
He alleged that Tinubu's administration was tilting towards authoritarianism, stressing that there were glaring signs that the president wants to sit tight.
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El-Rufai spoke at the weekend when Atiku paid him a solidarity visit following a recent attack on some leaders of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) including El-Rufai, during their meeting in Kaduna.
But in a swift reaction, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) said the president is discharging his responsibilities based on the mandate given to him by Nigerians in the 2023 election, saying his activities were legitimate and constitutional.
Recall that Atiku and El-Rufai are key leaders of the opposition coalition that recently adopted the ADC to stop Tinubu's re-election in 2027.
El-Rufai said the Tinubu administration was not following the democratic ideals, and accused it of centralising power rather than deepening federalism.
In a video posted on Atiku's Facebook page, El-Rufai said, "Honestly Sir, to me, it is even a disgrace. I mean, for people to behave the way they are behaving, it means that all the years of saying that we are for democracy, all the claims that we are fighting for true federalism and so on - it was all a pretence, all fake.
"Because this government is trying to centralise everything instead of devolving power to the lower levels. The sum total of this is that we are facing an evil of such a large proportion in the history of this country that if we don't come together and end this Tinubu administration by 2027, Tinubu will try to be our Paul Biya, to be president for life. All the signs are there, this is how Paul Biya started."
The further Kaduna governor also praised Atiku, saying, "You are our leader, you have done this fight before, you have fought the military, you have experience in democratic governance.
"When you and former President Obasanjo were in power, no one was being harassed because he had a different political feel. Even President Buhari, with his military background, never did that, and here we are facing full-fledged civilians but they are worse than any military regime we have ever had."
On his part, Atiku said the activities of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led APC administration "pose the greatest risk to our democracy since the return of democratic governance. It is concerning that this administration has turned into a full-blown dictatorship."
He disclosed that he and El-Rufai had resolved to harmonise their strengths and stand united in a bid to "rescue" Nigeria.
"The battle to save our democracy and provide a viable alternative platform that will enthrone purposeful governance is a response to the wishes and aspirations of Nigerians who are fed up with the incompetent and clueless Tinubu government," Atiku added.
However, efforts to get the reaction of the presidency on the allegations were unsuccessful. The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, and Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communications, Daniel Bwala, could not be reached for a response.
Atiku lacks capacity to defeat Tinubu -- APC
But reacting, the APC National Director of Publicity, Bala Ibrahim, told Daily Trust in a telephone interview last night that President Tinubu will still, defeat Atiku in 2027, if the latter is fielded as presidential candidate.
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Ibrahim said, "The question to ask is, is El-Rufai saying Atiku is going to be their flag-bearer? Or is the coalition saying they are going to field a serial loser as their presidential candidate in order to do what they call rescue Nigeria?
"Nigerians have lost count of the number of times Atiku has contested and lost. So I don't know what magic they are expecting him to bring to bear now that will make him win when he is weak.
"He didn't win when he was strong. Is it when he is weak that you say he is going to win? So these are the questions begging for answers."
Speaking on the allegation that President Tinubu wants to sit tight, Ibrahim said, "How can the president leave when he has a mandate? Nigerians have given him a mandate which will run until 2027.
"So he can't leave. To leave before the end of his tenure is to abdicate the responsibilities that were given to him and that would be a disservice to the country. The president has taken an oath of office and he can't be stampeded into leaving that office prematurely."
