Politics
“I am not an emperor by any chance ” – Governor Dapo Abiodun fires back at Tinubu
Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun has on Friday responded on twitter, hours after Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the All progressives Congress presidential aspirant, told him that he made him governor .
Tinubu disclosed on Thursday in Abeokuta during a meeting to woo APC delegates ahead of the forthcoming presidential primary, fixed for 6th June stated, “It’s over 34 years now that I have been serving them, this one sitting behind me (pointing at the governor), can he say it that he would have become the governor if not for me,” the former Lagos governor said boastfully in Yoruba.
“This one sitting behind me, Dapo, can he say he can be the Governor without me? We were together at the MKO Abiola stadium, he was intimated, they didn’t want to give him the party’s flag, I was the one that handed the flag to him. He knows that he cannot be the governor without the help of God and my support.”
“If he wants to meet God at the right place, he must know that without God and me, he would not have become Governor.”
Tinubu was in company with Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, his Kano State counterpart, Umar Ganduje and former Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima.Tinubu was apparently dissatisfied with Abiodun’s endorsement of Osinbajo.
But Governor Abiodun in a reply, wrote, “I am not an emperor by any chance and this is not my family inheritance”.
Recall that, Abiodun had in April 2022 declared that he would support Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo’s presidential bid, the move led to the attack by Tinubu who had backed him for governorship.
Abidoun continued, “I am holding this position in trust for all the people of this state and I have vowed to be fair, just and equitable and this is the solemn agreement I made between the Almighty God and myself.
Both Osinbajo and Tinubu were said to be instrumental to his victory when he battled former Governor Ibikunle Amosun’s anointed candidate, Abdulkabir Akinlade, in the last election.
According to Abiodun, Osinbajo’s academic qualifications as well as his pedigree serving as vice-president make him the best candidate for the presidency.
“If becoming president is by qualification, you’ve earned it. You are in office today as the vice-president of Nigeria. You’ve been in office for seven years. You’ve served your boss meritoriously. You are mature in this office. You’ve demonstrated capacity and capability,” he had told the Vice President who was in the state in April to consult APC stakeholders.
“If presidency is by way of an award, we will just gather here today and will award it to you. However, it isn’t an award; it’s a contest. We do not have a doubt in our minds that with your pedigree, the Lord Almighty that we all serve and that you also serve, will grant you the desires of your heart.
“As we stand here today, I make bold to say that your state is the industrial capital of this country; we are the religious capital of this country. God answers our prayers quickly in Ogun state. The Almighty God has answered your prayer. We will be with you, stand by you, and give you that support.”
