Tinubu visits Buhari after controversial remark on new naira notes, fuel scarcity

The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, has visited president Muhammadu Buhari in his home town, Daura, on Friday night.

Tinubu was accompanied by governor Bello Masari of Katsina and some APC governors, according to sources.

Though, details of the meeting were not made public but it held hours after the former Lagos State governor kicked against some policies of the federal government, which he said were targeted at him.

Recall that at the presidential campaign rally of the APC in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, on Wednesday, Tinubu had said, “Let them increase the price of fuel, only them know where they have hoarded fuel, they hoarded money, they hoarded naira; we will go and vote and we will win. Even if they changed the ink on Naira notes. Whatever their plans, it will come to nought. We are going to win.”

Tinubu’s remark had sent a wave of shock across the county, with the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) mocking him and the ruling party.

But in a statement, Bayo Onanuga, Director, Media & Publicity, APC Presidential Campaign Council, accused the opposition of driving a wedge between Tinubu and Buhari.

“Nigerians should no longer be in doubt about those working in cahoots with fifth columnists in the system to inflict avoidable pains on our hapless people for political end.”

“No sooner Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu empathised with the Nigerian people facing the dual crises of fuel and new Naira notes scarcity, than the opposition PDP and the Atiku camp issued a knee-jerk response, derailing from the issues, distorting Asiwaju’s statement and trying, in vain, to create a wedge between our presidential candidate and President Muhammadu Buhari.

“When the guilty are afraid of being uncovered, they try to push back with red-herring,” he said.

The presidency has been mute on the issue, which continues to generate interest few weeks to the election.

There are speculations that the Daura meeting is about Tinubu’s outburst in Abeokuta.

“Tinubu met with governor Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina State, Babagana Umara Zulum of Borno State, his Kebbi State counterpart, Abubakar Bagudu before they proceeded to Daura to see the president, though Governor Zulum did not go with them.”

“Perhaps Tinubu noticed that wherever they go for campaign, they were facing public harassment, hence the need to urgently meet with the president over the issue,” the source, which pleaded anonymity, said.