Usman Yusuf, a public policy expert and a staunch supporter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has described Ahmed Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC), as being politically naïve.
He arrived at this conclusion based on the decision of the APC presidential flagbearer to use surrogates to answer questions at Chatham House during his interview on Tuesday. He delegated some of the questions posed to him to members of his team.
During an interview with Arise TV on Wednesday, the professor of haematology-oncology and bone marrow transplantation turned politician expressed his feelings.
Yusuf rejected Tinubu’s idea, which appears to portray most Nigerians as incapable of selecting the best candidate for themselves.
He also rejected the notion that as long as he had most of the governors’ backing, then their states would be his by extension.
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He asked, “Do you think that through sub-contract your presidency would be delivered through surrogate? like he is doing. Does he think El-Rufai would deliver Kaduna State? No! Does he think Masari would deliver Katsina State? No! Does he think Ganduje would deliver Kano State? No! ……. So whatever they are telling him, he needs to wake up, and he is being politically naïve about his national pride.
“Bola Tinubu left and went to London. What did Atiku do? He went to Lagos—the lion’s den—to send his words; that’s politics,” he added, referring to the strategy being used by Atiku to gain votes from Tinubu’s stronghold.
He went further to present the failings of the ruling APC and insisted that the notion being played out by Tinubu to exempt himself from it is wrong. He accused Tinubu of being responsible, as he played a role in appointing most of the top political leaders in the country.
“Ladies and gentlemen, fellow Nigerians, there is no way Ahmed Tinubu can absolve himself from the mess of the APC. He is the grandfather of the APC.
“He Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the number two person—the vice president was his man, the number three person—the senate president was his man, the number four person—the speaker of the house was his man.
“The former SGF was his man. The chairman of FIRS was his man. The minister that governed three ministries in his hand was his man. So there is no way Bola Tinubu can tell us or absolve himself of the mess of the APC and say that he is a different person or that it is Lagos. There are the same, whatever happens in Lagos stays in Lagos,” he added.
