Tinubu's Allegation Is Ridiculous - FG Replies

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati yesterday dismissed as “absolutely ridiculous” the allegation by the National Leader of the All Progressive Congress, Bola Tinubu that he was being haunted by the Jonathan administration because he turned down the offer of a Vice President in a proposed Interim National Government.

Addressing state House Correspondents yesterday, Dr Abati also described as “grossly and utterly irresponsible” and “unintelligent” the accusation by the governor of Lagos state, Babatunde Fashola that robbers operated with impunity and killed in Lekki because all the policemen had been mobilised to protect the President who was visiting Lagos.

Speaking on the accusation by Bola Tinubu, Dr Abati said the President had repeatedly said that the issue of Interim National Government is not only unconstitutional but treasonable and could not have been offering any position to a non-existent arrangement.

He said: “A statement from the office of the national leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, alleging that he had been offered by President Jonathan the position of the Vice President in an imaginary National Interim Government.

“Except people have not been following the news or they have chosen willfully to play deaf and dumb , they will know and the facts are there that President Jonathan has said again and again, that an idea of an Interim National Government is preposterous and to use his exact words also treasonable; and that he has never discussed that idea with anybody and he has never proposed it at any forum.

“That as President of Nigeria, the democratically elected president his ambition can never be to head an Interim National Government under whatever circumstances.

“He is going to this Presidential election on the basis of the records of his achievements. On the conviction that he has served Nigerians well and the overwhelming majority of Nigerians are appreciative of the achievements of his administration and are therefore solidly behind him and will vote for him massively on March 28.

“He therefore has no reason whatsoever to support such an unconstitutional proposition as Interim National Government which in its fullest will amount to assault on democratic principles under this circumstance.

“Again if you de-construct the statement that purportedly emanated from the office of the Asiwaju Tinubu, you will see again the absurd nature of it.’’

The absolutely ridiculous nature of it in the sense that given the configuration of Nigeria, it is not likely, totally impossible to have an ING arrangement in which you will have a southerner as the president and then another southerner as vice president. It is absurd. It is not something that is likely to work given the nature of our politics.

Speaking on the allegation by governor Fashola that the armed robbery that took place in Lekki was because policemen were deployed to protect the President, Dr Abati said such “irresponsible” statement should not have come from a State Governor.

According to Dr Abati, “We consider the statement attributed to governor Fashola as grossly and utterly irresponsible. We expect that a man of his status who is governor of a state should speak more responsibly. It doesn’t make any sense whatsoever that the entire police formation in Lagos State would be deployed to protect the President of Nigeria.

“The visit of the president to Lagos or any part of the country does not necessitated the depletion of the police force active in that particular state of environment,” he said. (Vanguard)