Categories: Politics

Nigeria: Group Says a Tinubu Presidency Will Amount to Buhari’s Third Term

A group within the People’s Democratic Party, ACTION 2023, has claimed that a Bola Tinubu presidency would amount to an extension of the current Buhari administration. It said the APC presidential ticket was an attempt to give Buhari a third term in office.

In a statement by its chairman, Hon. Rufus Omeire, the group declared that APC represented an existential threat to Nigeria in all critical areas of nationhood.
The PDP Action 2023 expressed surprise at the recent effort by a former APC national chairman and ex-Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, to distance the APC presidential candidate from the incumbent government, saying, “This is most disingenuous for many reasons.”

According to the group, “The APC presidential ticket for 2023 general elections is an attempt to give President Muhammadu Buhari a third term in office.
“Recently, a former APC chairman and ex-Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, sought to distance Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, the APC presidential candidate, from the disastrous government of the incumbent president, General Muhammadu Buhari. This is most disingenuous for many reasons.

“In the first place, by the provisions of the constitution of Nigeria, it is a political party that sponsors a candidate for presidential election. In this case, the ruling APC is sponsoring Tinubu.

“Secondly, for practical reasons, it is the name of the political party that will be on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ballot paper during elections and so, APC will be on the ballot, not even Tinubu.

“Thirdly, Tinubu is the acknowledged and recognised National Leader of the APC, a position he shares with President Buhari. Indeed, by Tinubu’s own admission, he was largely instrumental in foisting President Buhari on Nigeria.

“He has given crucial support to the APC government of President Buhari and repeatedly publicly praised the policies and direction of the APC government. He is the philosopher king of APC’s misrule in Nigeria.

“Fourthly, during the APC primaries, he was massively endorsed by the party to continue from where Buhari will stop. The word in the APC is continuity. The fulcrum of the APC campaign has been a firm promise to replicate the sterling performance of the APC government of Buhari, if Tinubu happens to win in 2023.

“Make no mistake about it, a Tinubu presidency would be just another term for Buhari. Note that Tinubu and Buhari have the same divisive streak, the same arrogance and contempt for peoples’ views and feelings.

“Tinubu is even a worse version, as Buhari at least, resisted the divisive Muslim-Muslim ticket in 2015. Notwithstanding, they subscribe to the same policies and programmes. Tinubu is Buhari and Buhari is Tinubu.”

Chuks Okocha