A group under the aegis of the Patriotic Northern Coalition for Justice, Peace and Equity has called on the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to beware of some politicians and elements within the party plotting to undermine the party’s chieftain and former Lagos State governor, Bola Tinubu.
The national coordinator of the coalition, Alhaji Babangida Sule Jnr, told newsmen in Kaduna yesterday, that Tinubu is the bedrock of APC and still commands great respect in his region and in the party, adding that any plot against his interest will be counter-productive.
He said the North is still grateful to Tinubu for his contributions towards Buhari’s victory and that the coalition will do all it can to stop anyone or group planning against him in the APC.
“Politicians are already strategising for 2019 and they will stop at nothing to achieve their aim. Some of them are in APC and we have uncovered that part of their aims is to undermine the party’s chieftain, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, because they see him as a stumbling block. But we the Patriotic Northern Coalition won’t allow them because we are still grateful to Tinubu for what he has done for the North in the 2015 general elections, particularly his efforts in the emergence of President Muhammadu Buhari.
We know that many people played crucial roles in the emergence of Buhari, but Tinubu tops them all.
“Personally, I know of the many times he came to Kaduna to meet with Buhari and assure him that he would do all he could to support him and ensure his victory.
“I know all these things because I was part of the groups that met with him on several occasions, including some APC governors today. Again, in order to ensure Buhari’s victory at the primaries, he used his influence to move the convention from Abuja to Lagos. We know what happened after that and at the final election. So, we won’t allow anybody or group of persons to plan anything against his interest in APC. Besides, such plot will be counter-productive because Tinubu is an influential APC chieftain that commands respect in his region and some other regions.
“Moreover, any crisis in the APC today will be harmful to the nation because APC is the ruling party and whatever affects it can easily impact negatively on the nation,” he said.
Alhaji Sule also decried the moves by some people to form a caucus in APC just like what happened in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) then, where some people formed the New PDP. He said such calculation is totally wrong and will not augur well for the party.
He called on the APC and its leadership not to underrate the PDP too soon, saying that they are still a strong political force which can cause them upset if they are not very careful.
He urged everyone irrespective of party affiliation, tribe, religion and class to join hands with President Buhari so that he can transform the nation and deliver the dividends of democracy to the people.
