…May not lead Buhari’s campaign
By Mike Odiakose
There is palpable anxiety in the ruling All Progressives Congress,
APC, over speculations over the health status of the former governor of Lagos State, Ashiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and leader of the APC, who is expected to be in the forefront of President Muhammadu Buhari’s presidential campaign.
It gathered from a chieftain of the APC at the weekend that Ashiwaju Tinubu is not enjoying a robust health and may be flown abroad any moment from now for medical treatment.
He declared that the ruling party is very concerned about Tinubu’s
health since the party is looking up to him to be the arrowhead of the re-election of President Buhari.
According to him, the party’s 2019 electioneering campaign is still on low key as the party is still shopping for an influential member in the status of Tinubu to lead the APC campaign.
He said there is apprehension in not only Tinubu’s camp but also in the national leadership of the APC over the failing health of the national leader of the APC.
Our source added that supporters of the APC national chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole are also worried about the health of Tinubu as the former Lagos State governor is alleged to be the unseen hand behind Oshiomhole’s stay in office despite calls from some aggrieved party members for his removal over the crisis in the party.
“You know the role Tinubu played in the emergence of Oshiomhole and he has been a sort of shield covering the national chairman and if anything happens to Tinubu, then Oshiomhole’s days are numbered,” he said.
Apart from his failing health, Tinubu is said to be reluctant to lead President Buhari’s re-election campaign because of the way he was ‘used and practically dumped’ by Buhari after the sacrifices he made for the success of the party in 2015.
Though Tinubu was silent over the way he was allegedly shoved aside by Buhari’s kitchen cabinet, his wife, Oluremi, Senator representing Lagos Central Senatorial District, admitted that her husband was dumped by the party after assisting them in winning the elections.
“He was campaigning, I did too. We were running three campaigns in my house just for him to be trashed like that? But I saw somebody who has the love for this country”, she said.
Buhari only reached out to Tinubu after almost three years in the cold when he started strategising for his re-election bid in 2019.
There were reports that Tinubu wants to conserve energy by concentrating on the elections in the South West alone instead of going on a nationwide campaign with President Buhari.
When contacted on phone on Sunday, Tinubu’s Spokesman, Tunde Rahman, neither confirms nor denied speculations on the health status of his boss.
He was also not forthcoming if Tinubu will be part of Buhari’s campaign train.
Rather than being specific he only referred our Correspondent to report in a national daily at the weekend about the APC campaign.
