Cracks are beginning to appear inside the All Progressives Congress (APC) as more key party leaders, including President Muhammadu Buhari, quit or refuse to support the party’s presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, ahead of the 2023 elections.
On Channels TV’s Sunrise Daily on Wednesday morning, Kaduna State Governor Mallam Nasir El-Rufai deftly avoided comments on President Buhari’s (non)endorsement of Tinubu for the presidency in 2023, fueling wild speculation that many party chieftains were opposed to his ambition.
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During the interview, the Governor exposed how some ‘saboteurs’ in President Buhari’s administration are plotting the party’s electoral defeat.
During the interview, El-Rufai hinted that because Buhari did not fully support Tinubu’s ambition, those around the President felt free not to.
El-Rufai attempted to absolve Buhari of any wrongdoing while stating that some unnamed individuals around the president were attempting to frustrate Tinubu’s ambition, but he was unable to outright accuse the president of being fully behind the antagonism to Tinubu.
Ongoing “Cold War” in APC between Tinubu and Buhari
Many analysts have remarked that things are not going well between Tinubu and Buhari. During the party primaries, Tinubu’s camp launched repeated digs at Buhari, who obviously did not support the former’s presidential bid.
On one occasion, Tinubu accused the president of being ungrateful for supporting Buhari, who had previously run and failed three times before ultimately winning in 2015.
Tinubu’s remarks grabbed the attention of the party’s national chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, who threatened Tinubu with disciplinary action.
Buhari reportedly chose Adamu as the party’s national chairman over Tinubu’s nominee to upset the latter.
Furthermore, Tinubu’s team has claimed on multiple occasions that the Buhari administration is working against the campaign through “sabotage” policies such as the naira redesign and ongoing fuel scarcity. Tinubu’s high command believes the Buhari administration targeted them with these moves.
“They don’t want this election to hold,” he stated at a January rally at MKO Abiola Stadium. “They want to sabotage it. Will you allow them?” the former Lagos State Governor asked.
The APC presidential candidate also tactically blamed the Buhari government for increasing the dollar exchange rate from N200 to N800 because they do not “think”. He stated this at a rally in Calabar, the Cross River State capital.
Buhari’s men distance themselves farther from Tinubu
Several of Buhari’s longstanding lieutenants, including former Minister of Science, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu and former Minister of State for Education, Chief Emeka Nwajiuba, have withdrawn from Tinubu’s campaign entirely.
The two men have been Buhari’s allies since he began partisan politics in 2002.
Following the conclusion of the primary in July 2022, the politicians failed to actively participate in APC-related activities.
Former ministers who served under President Buhari have mostly remained mute about their support for the APC presidential candidate in 2023.
Chief Nwajiuba, who boycotted the convention in protest over what he labeled injustice, filed a suit in the Federal High Court, demanding Tinubu’s disqualification from the 2023 elections.
According to one former minister, some APC delegates who voted at the APC’s special convention were regretting their decisions after being bribed with money at the conference.
Boss Mustapha, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, has completely avoided the election.
The APC’s official justification for his absence from the campaign council is “focused on governance,” but many argue that their choice is related to the party’s Muslim-Muslim ticket.
Following the primaries, Mustapha paid a visit to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, fueling speculation that the SGF is supporting Atiku, his kinsman from Adamawa state.
Buhari’s aloofness
More evidence has emerged that Buhari may be avoiding Tinubu’s campaign. The APC had chosen Buhari to lead Tinubu’s 2023 campaign. So far, the President has only visited Tinubu’s rallies in four states: Adamawa, Bauchi, Yobe, and Plateau, out of a total of 10.
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Observers consider this development unusual because, in a presidential election, an incumbent president is traditionally expected to travel to all states alongside his party’s nominee.
APC bigwigs’ hesitation to fully support the party’s presidential nominee, according to one political observer, should be cause for concern before the 2023 election.
QUEST TIMES attempted to reach the party’s National Secretary, Senator Iyiola Omisore for comment, but he did not respond to our messages or pick up the phone.