As the 2023 politicking begins to gather momentum, the crack between the camps of President Muhammadu Buhari and that of a national leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has widened, Daily Trust reports.
But while some sources admitted there are issues between the two strongmen, a university lecturer with a good understanding of Nigerian political schemings, said the purported rift was tactically created to push Tinubu aside and pave way for another candidate to clinch the presidency.
Our correspondents report that the last time the two leaders met was on January 7, 2020, when Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State, visited the State House, Abuja.
Daily Trust couldn't set up the final time the president and the former governor spoke thru telephone, but more than one resources stated all is not nicely among the duo.
After 3 tries for the presidency, Buhari aligned with Tinubu and others to shape the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2013, main to his victory.
Daily Trust reviews that soon after Buhari took over, Tinubu changed into now not visible around the presidency until 2018 when the politicking for the 2019 general elections started out.
Another lull by way of Tinubu
Since the commencement of President Buhari’s 2nd time period, the former Lagos State governor has most effective visited the president on few activities even as, regardless of the COVID-19 pandemic, the president has been web hosting top participants of the celebration.
On Friday, he received 3 APC governors, Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi), Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa) and Mai Mala Buni (Yobe) who is the country wide caretaker committee chairman of the ruling celebration.
On Monday, he met with former Governor Gbenga Daniel and ex-Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole.
On Tuesday, the president met with Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State.
Though Asiwaju is reportedly in a foreign country, his “distance from the Villa” is being interpreted in many quarters as a manifestation of a rift among his camp and that of President Buhari with the 2023 presidential election as the bone of rivalry.
During his closing visit on January 7, 2020, Tinubu described President Buhari as a man of man or woman and braveness who will never be given the offer of a third term in workplace.
Before then, they have got held a comparable closed-door meeting on November 2, 2018. But Tinubu declined to comment on the final results of the parley.
Tinubu had in advance on October 31, 2018, met with President Buhari and brushed off the call for the resignation of the then national chairman of the birthday celebration, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.
How governors weakened Tinubu’s impact
Despite the lively efforts by means of Tinubu to store Oshiomhole, a key figure in his camp, the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the APC sacked him.
The sacking of Oshiomhole, with the blessing of Buhari, weakened the camp of Tinubu as the party machinery has been taken over by using governors.
After the sack of Oshiomhole, Governor Buni was made the chairman of the caretaker committee of the party.
Twice, the tenure of the committee has been extended and there are reports that the countrywide conference of the birthday celebration, scheduled for June this 12 months, might be prolonged to pave way for the continuation of the caretaker committee.
The claims with the aid of Jigawa State governor and chairman of the party’s Strategy and Contact Committee, Badaru Abubakar, on Tuesday that the convention could no longer be shifted was acquired with a pinch of salt by party stakeholders.
Daily Trust reviews that the celebration’s machinery is being controlled with the aid of the governors, especially the trio of Buni, Badaru and Bagudu, with the help of the presidency.
In October last 12 months throughout the #EndSARS protest, Tinubu become in the attention of the storm as he was accused of being one of the sponsors of the protest; an allegation those in assist of Tinubu defined as lies, insisting that he became amongst those who suffered critical losses in the course of the protest and therefore couldn't had been a sponsor.
Speaking for the duration of a Channels TV programme, Tinubu said some human beings lied to the presidency that he turned into behind the protests.
‘Buhari under strain not to assist Tinubu’
A member of the first circle of relatives said there are efforts to convince the president to assist a candidate that would shield his (Buhari’s) interest whilst he exits the presidency in 2023.
“We trust that Tinubu will not defend Buhari’s hobby after his tenure, for this reason the want to appearance somewhere else.
“We are operating tough to convince the president to support a candidate that would protect his interest after his tenure,” the source, who sought not to be named, stated.
Similarly, a cupboard member, stated: “The president isn't inquisitive about Tinubu’s candidature because he is not convinced that Asiwaju is the right individual to succeed him.”
Daily Trust reviews but that Tinubu has now not formally declared his aim to contest for the presidency but distinctive businesses are openly campaigning for him.
Ambode, Omisore, others to ‘tame’ Tinubu
As a part of measures to whittle down the influence of Tinubu in the South-West, the ruling APC has persisted to usher in folks that are appeared to be opposed to the previous Lagos State governor.
A former governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode, whose second time period bid in 2019 Tinubu worked towards, become the day gone by named as a member of the contact and method committee of the birthday party.
Aside Ambode, the celebration has harvested top shots in the South-West political region, such as a former deputy governor of Osun State, Iyiola Omisore; a former governor of Ogun State, Gbenga Daniel, and former Speaker Bankole, among others.
There are reviews that they had been cajoled via the APC closer to demystifying Tinubu beforehand of 2023.
Why crack will persist – APC chieftains
Talking approximately the relationship between Buhari and Tinubu, a source in the presidency stated: “President Buhari has by no means had a cordial dating with Asiwaju.
“He simply believes that the previous governor of Lagos State should be used to obtain his ambition. After the 2015 elections, you'll recollect that Asiwaju became deserted.
“He become added close again before the 2019 elections. So, there is no want to fear about their dating. It is the identical situation that is playing out,” he said.
A ranking APC lawmaker also instructed Daily Trust that the president become not glad with happenings in the South-West while he accused Tinubu of doing nothing seen to quench the rising agitations inside the area.
“I can bet you the president will not pop out overtly to aid him (Tinubu) to emerge as president despite the fact that the previous Lagos State governor believes that this is payback time thinking about the huge investment he made in Buhari and the APC.
“Also, the president has had reservations approximately Tinubu’s persona due to the fact he sees him like another baby-kisser within the united states of america. But he have become suspicious of him while Tinubu started out claiming the name of a national chief of the party after the 2015 elections.
“As you know, the national chief of a ruling birthday party should be the president. You understand, the previous Lagos governor is smug and the president is cussed, the 2 can't cross together,” he stated.
‘Crack between Buhari, Asiwaju hearsay’
But an influential member of the party close to each President Buhari and Tinubu said there has been no crack among the 2 personalities.
In a telephone interview, he stated: “You realize while an election is coming near people will want to gas disaster and all types of theories can be within the media.
“To me, that is everyday in the political setting of the united states. With or with out Buhari, Tinubu’s impact inside the South-West can't be wished away.”
Asked why Tinubu has no longer visited the villa inside the remaining 14 months, he said: “My buddy, he is overseas.
“There are plenty of factors that are not meant for public consumption. If Tinubu goes to contest, he'll no longer be doing so against Buhari. So, what is the vicinity of battle?
“Two, the time isn't ripe for the president to show or propose any of the aspirants; the real politics has not commenced. Tinubu has been away for approximately a month.”
Tinubu’s supporters explore options
In the South-West, mainly Lagos, in which the agitation for Tinubu’s presidency has been rife, his numerous disciples are stated to be keenly watching the unfolding eventualities and exploring other alternatives beforehand of the election.
Many of them believe the alleged flow with the aid of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to open a clean investigation in opposition to him became the product of a rift among him and the president.
But his loyalists say they were unperturbed via the seeming gang-up, describing the purported probe as a “marketing campaign of calumny in opposition to the country wide leader of the APC.”
Speaking with our correspondent, the founding father of Tinubu 2023 Non-Negotiable, Kunle Okunola, insisted that the recent move to probe the property assertion of Asiwaju by means of the EFCC became politically influenced.
He vowed that each one sorts of scheming towards him could fail.
According to him, the 2023 presidency of Tinubu is not approximately him or Buhari, saying Asiwaju remained the choice of Nigerians of all divides.
He said: “I don’t need the politics of bickering and hypothesis that there's a hassle between Asiwaju and Mr President as though Nigeria belongs to Mr President or one individual. Nigeria is not for Asiwaju, neither for Mr President.
“Nigeria belongs to absolutely everyone and any correct man or woman who wishes the pleasant for this state could do the requisite on the right time.
“We noticed the identical thing while Buhari came. Despite the speculation that he had no certificate, no one turned into capable to investigate him. So, the identical component might appear to Asiwaju.
“We are much less involved, we're shifting on with our imaginative and prescient,” he said. The spokesman of the APC in Lagos, Seye Oladejo, agreed with Okunola and confused that the subsidized assaults in opposition to Tinubu can not prevent him.
He stated, “The rift remains inside the realm of rumour-mongering and idle speculation.
“However, the history of this dispensation might be incomplete with out the management role of Tinubu in the unheard of dislodgement of the then ruling PDP with the aid of a galvanized opposition.
“The cabal should maintain to stay in self-deceit till the appointed time.”
Presidency being manipulated to diminish Tinubu – Don
Dissecting the scenario, an Associate Professor of Political Sociology, University of Abuja, Dr Abubakar Umar Kari, said the presidency is being manipulated to decrease Tinubu.
In an interview, Kari said: “There might not be any actual crack between the 2 leaders as par deteriorating non-public courting or political variations.
“I am no longer aware of any incident, difficulty, disagreement or bone of rivalry indicating a parting of approaches among the two.
“By nature, Buhari could be very aloof, does no longer openly socialise, nor is he given to show of amity. This is why some humans accuse him of no longer being concerned about others.
“For the equal reason, some humans consider Buhari is egocentric and is not concerned approximately all and sundry, specifically now that he isn't always looking for some thing from absolutely everyone.
“I am certainly one of people who assume PMB will no longer play any considerable function within the 2023 politicking.
“This detached mindset is bad news for Tinubu who could assume Buhari to help him if just to go back the favour he did to him in 2014/15.
“Buhari’s nonchalance is what's fuelling the hypothesis that there is a crack between the two.”
According to Prof. Kari, there are some effective people, close to the president who have been invoking his name to pursue and obtain their political desires.
“Most of them are implacably opposed to Tinubu and his presidential ambition. They are the ones creating and propagating the affect that every one is not properly among Tinubu and the president. They are deftly using and manipulating the presidency and the birthday party equipment to decrease Tinubu’s have an effect on and help base.
“This will hold and accentuate going into 2023, at the same time as Buhari’s characteristic indifference will also in all likelihood get worse, however the adverse consequences of equal to Tinubu and many others within the APC, which includes the party itself.”
Buhari, Tinubu dating cordial, productive – Media aide
Tinubu’s media aide, Tunde Rahman, instructed Daily Trust the connection among President Buhari and Tinubu is a great and efficient one.
“The insinuation of a cold warfare between them is the stuff of idle gossip by using people who take advantage of inflicting controversy wherein there is none.
“Asiwaju Tinubu is a devoted guy and dedicated patriot who stands devoted, in any potential he can, to supporting President Buhari recognise his coverage goals for the benefit of all Nigerians.
“It is a testomony to the excellent of the relationship among them that President Buhari has so kindly agreed to chair the twelfth annual colloquium marking Asiwaju‘s birthday on Monday.
“We count on the colloquium to be a effective and enlightening occasion in which crucial problems are discussed and critical recommendations made. This is the sort of interplay so that it will assist Nigeria acquire its better self,” he stated.
Presidency mum
Efforts to get the response from the presidency were now not a hit because the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, did not respond to a text message despatched to him after telephone calls.
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