I Know Nothing About Buhari’s Endorsement, Tinubu Fires Okorocha

National leader of the All progressives Congress [APC], Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu has slammed Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha over his statement that 34 governors have endorsed President Muhammadu Buhari for 2019 presidential election.

Okorocha, while addressing leaders of the ‘Democratic Youths Congress for Buhari 2019′, who visited him at the government house in Owerri on Tuesday, had said that all but two governors in the country are in support of a second term for President Buhari.

During the meeting, Okorocha had urged every Nigerian to support Buhari for a second term as there is no “better man for the job than Buhari”.

He said: “President Buhari is the best for the country at the moment and that there could not have been a better option now.

“I am a believer of Buhari and I made it clear years ago that if President Buhari is running for president, I will not run.

“Now God has chosen him to be the president of Nigeria and some of us are witnesses that Buhari was and is still the best for Nigeria at this material time.”

He had further said that “supporting Buhari for a second tenure will bring about the new Nigeria we are talking about. 

“This will put Nigeria first and the unity we are looking for will be guaranteed under this administration,” he said.

“Our nation is going through a challenging moment and we will require a man of his caliber to see us through this period.

“People should not use the Anambra election result to judge the support for Buhari as it does not reflect the support.

“Even the government and people of Anambra support President Buhari, what happened was that an internal disagreement among the leaders in APC in Anambra cost us the election.”

Reacting to the statement by Okorocha, Asiwaju Tinubu took to his Twitter handle to distance himself from the endorsement claim of the Imo State governor.

He said: “I have not heard about that and the APC Spokesman has not said that. No governor can appropriate the power of endorsement to himself. 

“President Buhari is a believer in process, the Buhari I know believes in rule of law and due process.”

Responding to a question on alleged automatic ticket for Buhari with journalists after a meeting with Pa Fasoranti in Akure, Tinubu said further:

“We wanted him even before the last convention and primaries of the party.

“Akeredolu is here standing with me, he was not the governor then. He was one of the leading delegates that voted properly and Buhari was a clear winner.”

“We follow constitutional provisions and an individual opinion does not matter at this stage.

“Buhari will want a normal process, Buhari that I know. Who says he will lose at any convention?”

“Buhari has not excluded anybody, and he has not stopped anybody from aspiring or contesting”

“If I were an architect, I would say that President Buhari has used the last two years to wisely lay the deep and wide foundation for a new building called a better Nigeria,” he concluded.

Besides, it could be recalled that the same Okorocha recently vehemently kicked against the idea of Buhari’s sole candidacy.

When asked by newsmen his position on the plan to prop up Buhari as the APC sole candidate for the 2019 general election, he retorted that no one will get such approval.

He also insisted that everyone candidate will go through election primaries, even Buhari, in the spirit of democracy.

It caught his listeners off-guard to hear him say otherwise on Tuesday.

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