Senator Abdullahi Adamu, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has denied the existence of any rift between him and President Bola Tinubu over the management of the affairs of the ruling party.
News about a crack in the leadership of the party gathered momentum after the appointment of presiding officers for the National Assembly by the Senate President, Godwills Akpabio, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas.
Some reports carried the story that Adamu, with the backing of members of the National Working Committee (NWC), had mandated the leadership of the federal legislative house to send their full list for approval to the NWC of the APC, which unfortunately was not heeded to. An action some aggrieved members of the ruling party saw as a confrontation by the house leadership on the party.
However, BusinessDay learnt that before the presidential primary of the APC, Adamu had declared his support for former Senate President Ahmed Lawan. An action that many saw as a direct confrontation with the ambition of Tinubu and grouse for what is happening in the party.
Adamu appeared on Arise Television News Night on Tuesday, denying any rift between himself and President Tinubu. He accused the media and those unhappy with his style of leadership of the party of pushing this falsehood.
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“It is true that at the time when I made the presentation to the National Working Committee, yes, before the convention, I presented the name of the former Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, for the presidency,” Adamu said, not denying the fact that he actually didn’t support the ambition of President Tinubu.
“So many things took place before the convention, and once he was nominated, I led the committee as chairman of the party to his residence at Asokoro.
“We assured him of our support; we assured him that this mandate given to him is sold properly to the Nigerian populace and electorate. Something that we did so well.”
The National Chairman added that his entire team aggressively supported the president by not only accompanying him to campaign rallies across the country but also mobilising enough grassroot support to ensure his victory.
“I was privileged to lead the party up to the election, and we delivered the election in favour of our great party,” he exclaimed.
Adamu, angry at how naysayers and political opponents have gone about trashing his Excos effort at ensuring victory at the polls for the president, said that it is unfortunate that they have “vilified” their effort.
“They complained that it is now that they say they want the accounts,” he said.
He added that, for anything, he expects all Nigerians to acknowledge and appreciate the effort his Excos made to ensure victory for his candidate and party at the general elections.
“I have not had any misunderstandings with him since the convention and when he was elected,” he said about the friendly relationship between him and President Tinubu.
Adamu added that for those wishing to continue spreading lies about a crack in the relationship between him and the president, he and the president will continue to enjoy a good working relationship.
