APC: Tinubu speaks on ‘moving against’ Ajimobi, meeting with Akala, others

All Progressives Congress National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu,
has said Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State is his partner, not
rival and that his intervention in Oyo APC is to engender genuine
reconciliation not to hide or supplant the governor.

The APC leader was reacting to a report that Tinubu was moving
to ban Governor Ajimobil from leading APC campaigns in Oyo and
bringing back to the party’s fold, former governor Adebayo
Alao-Akala.

Tinubu described Governor Ajimobi as an excellent governor and a
faithful member of the APC.

“He has brought progress to the state and in serving two
consecutive terms, Ajimobi made history in Oyo. He is instrumental
to anything the APC can achieve in Oyo”, he said.

A statement on Monday by Tinubu’s Media Adviser, Tunde Rahman,
said Asiwaju was only lending his support to the governor and APC’s
efforts in the state.

It reads: “The report titled “Tinubu Bans Ajimobi from Appearing
at APC Governorship Rallies” is another of SaharaReporters’
excursions into falsehood. The report claims that Asiwaju Bola
Tinubu somehow has banned Governor Abiola Ajimobi from attending
APC campaigns for Saturday’s governorship election in Oyo
State.

“This report goes beyond a lie. It is a vindictive attempt to
sow discord because the writer is angered by the APC’s success in
the presidential election. Thus, the writer has cast truth aside in
his angry desire to inflict some kind of electoral wound on the
APC. However, the writer should refrain from this path of
falsehood. It would be better for the writer to come to grips with
reality and to accept the fact of the APC presidential victory and
the likelihood of APC victories in most governorship elections,
including that of Oyo.

“The mischief that SaharaReporters cites is not between Tinubu
and Ajimobi. It is solely in the mind of SaharaReporters. By its
unsubstantiated report, the medium seeks to set brother against
brother. Asiwaju and Governor Ajimobi have been political brothers
and allies for a long time. Their friendship existed long before
SaharaReporters came to the scene and will endure long after this
self-diminishing online site is no more.

“Moreover, Governor Ajimobi has been an excellent governor and a
faithful member of the APC. He has brought progress to the state
and in serving two consecutive terms, Ajimobi made history in Oyo.
He is instrumental to anything the APC can achieve in Oyo. The
truth is that Asiwaju is not trying to supplant or hide the
governor. Instead, Asiwaju is lending his support to the governor’s
and APC’s efforts in the state. They are partners not rivals.

“As such, he has held strategic meetings with some notable
groups and important individuals. The heart of the discussions was
the need for all to come together to achieve victory for APC in the
March 9 governorship poll. At no time did the issue of banning
anybody, talk less of Governor Ajimobi, enter into the discussions.
We want and need Governor Ajimobi to be a visible figure at the
forefront of this campaign during these final decisive days. He
will prove pivotal to our hope for victory in the state.

“SaharaReporters betrayed its abject bias with this report. It
makes absolutely no sense to even try to stop a sitting governor
from campaigning in that governor’s state. Such a move would only
create enmity and hinder, not help a campaign. For SaharaReporters
to claim this is to claim that Asiwaju is a political novice.
Asiwaju has never barred anyone from participating in a campaign.
Why would he now start with Ajimobi in Ajimobi’s own state?

“In addition to not having such a negative inclination, Asiwaju
wields no such power and has no desire to have such power. Ajimobi
is a sitting governor who can travel his state as he pleases. Who
can dare stop him? We want him in and at the rallies. Asiwaju’s
intervention in Oyo was to engender genuine reconciliation. To
exclude this good and able governor would have aborted this mission
before it started.

“Asiwaju views Governor Ajimobi as highly disciplined and a
committed and respected party leader, unlike some others who have
no respect for party supremacy. The relationship between them
remains solid and loyal. And one hundred false reports by one
hundred SaharaReporters cannot change that reality”.