The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has accused his All Progressives Congress (APC) counterpart, Bola Tinubu, of pretending to be on the side of the people by criticising and distancing himself from the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The former vice president said the APC candidate is desperately trying to attack the failed policies of the present administration which he had vigorously defended since 2015.
Recall that Tinubu, who had days back slammed the Buhari government for the redesigning of the naira notes and fuel scarcity, had on Tuesday in Calabar fired the present administration for failing to fix the exchange rate.
The former Lagos State governor had said: “Today, they moved the exchange rate from N200 to N800. If they had repaired it, if they had arrested this, we wouldn’t be where we are today, we would be greater. They don’t know the way, they don’t know how to think, they don’t know how to do it.”
Reacting in a statement through his special assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said Tinubu has thrown Buhari under the bus in his failed and desperate quest for power.
Shaibu said: “Tinubu has disingenuously been criticising President Buhari, trying to extricate himself from the failures of the APC which he had vigorously defended in the last eight years. Nigerians must not be deceived by this charlatan who is now posing to be on the side of the masses.
“It is funny that Tinubu, who proudly held the position of national leader of the APC for the last eight years, could throw the President under the bus in his failed and desperate quest for power.
“Tinubu is the APC, mind, soul and body. He was the national leader of the party even before Buhari became the presidential candidate. Is it possible for a snail to deny its own shell? Tinubu needs to give up this rascally act and take ownership of the failure of his party in the last eight years. His latest outburst is nothing but diversionary tactics.
“This is the sort of person Tinubu is. He is a user who throws his friends under the bus when things get tough. Nigerians have been facing petrol scarcity for nearly a year. Why is Tinubu just speaking about it now that elections are a few days away?
“Why is Tinubu just attacking Buhari’s policies, many of which have been in place for years? In any case, the previous Finance Minister, Kemi Adeosun, said at the 65th Tinubu symposium on March 28, 2017 that it was Tinubu’s economic policy that the Buhari regime was using. So, why is Tinubu all of a sudden trying to distance himself from his own failed policy?”
“Ahmad Lawan, whom Tinubu openly supported, is the current Senate President and godson, Femi Gbajabiamila is the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Both of them, who are proud rubber stamps, have been approving all of Buhari’s loans without question which further weakened the currency. Where was Tinubu when this was happening?
“Yemi Osinbajo, who was Tinubu’s commissioner for eight years also headed Buhari’s economic team and chaired the National Economic Council by virtue of his position as Vice-President. Where was Tinubu when policies were being implemented? Why didn’t he speak up?”