By Uche Amunike
The Assistant Director, Media and Publicity of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), Biodun Ajiboye has reacted to a viral video on the internet showing the Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai speak about an informal debate in the APC concerning older politicians giving way for younger ones.
According to Ajiboye, the viral video clip was a handwork of mischief makers from an old video, which was intended to create fracas in the APC camp. In a rebuttal, which he released to Newsmen, Saturday, he explained that Governor Nasir El-Rufai was fully in support of Bola Tinubu’s Presidential bid and remained committed to his election, come February 2023.
Part of the statement read: ‘Our attention has been drawn to a redacted video of Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, in which he spoke about an informal debate in the All Progressives Congress on whether the older politicians should give way to the younger ones.’
‘The governor said Asiwaju was aware of the debate. We want to make it crystal clear that it is normal in any political organisation to engage in such dialectics. El-Rufai did not commit any sin by making his view known.’
‘We also want to make it crystal clear that the video was part of a longer version, from which mischief makers extracted the trending segment.’
‘It was recorded in May this year before the presidential primaries of the party, which Tinubu won by landslide, beating the younger turks in the party.’
‘However, in politics, as soon as a candidate emerges from a political party after each primary, everyone rallies round the candidate to work for the party and ensure its success at the general elections.’
He further stated that Bola Tinubu personally believes that Nasir El-Rufaihad a great role to play in his incoming administration if he became president, as demonstrated last October when he begged the Kaduna State governor to forget about traveling abroad to bag another degree.
He reiterated that the viral video was a product of mischief makers who were bent on painting the picture that the 70 year old Bola Tinubu was not strong enough to govern Nigeria.
His words: ‘For the umpteenth time, we want to state without equivocation that Asiwaju is strong enough to go through the rigours of the campaigns. He has been attending meetings, campaigns, town hall events and attending to people, back-to-back.’
Meanwhile, the viral video in question did not have a date, neither was the event titled . Governor Nasir El-Rufai also spoke in the Hausa language in the said video, were he stated that old people should thank God for their years and depart politics, since they were getting weaker.
He said: ‘That is how I see it, but the others didn’t agree. Even Ashiwaju didn’t agree. We even discussed it two days ago, but he refused. He went on to describe Tinubu as an old War Horse who would win the 2023 general election. He also waved off the aspiration of the Labour Party flag bearer, Peter Obi, saying that the 2023 election is between the PDP and the APC.
