Henry Ajomale, a former Chairman of the Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and Abdullahi Bodejo, National President, Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, are in stiff disagreement over the presidential ambition of Bola Tinubu, the National leader of the APC.
Multiple reports have claimed that the former Governor of Lagos State is gunning for the presidential seat come 2023.
Although Tinubu has not confirmed or debunk these reports outright, he had said that his interest in the leadership of the National Assembly was not to clinch power in 2023.
However, the Miyetti Allah leader said Tinubu should forget the ambition of becoming president if he was nursing one.
He said Tinubu would never become Nigeria’s president because he is old and does not enjoy the full support of all the Yorubas.
He also thwarted Tinubu’s contribution to the emergence of Muhammadu Buhari as Nigeria’s president in 2015.
He said: “I have told you that 2015 is now history. Even me talking to you now, do you know the role I played in 2015? People played all manner of politics in 2015 and Tinubu was not the only person.
“What I know is that Tinubu cannot be the president of Nigeria. That is the truth. He is very old and maybe older than President Buhari. Some people see Tinubu like one big masquerade but he is not.
“If Tinubu is recognized by the Yoruba people as their leader, why did Buhari score 50 per cent there? Why did he not ask them to give him like even 60 per cent at least? Tinubu has failed and that is the truth. Or are you telling me that Tinubu did anti-party activities by telling the South West to share the votes 50/50 to APC and PDP?”
However, the former chairman of Lagos State APC, said God has destined Tinubu to be Nigeria’s president and “one million Bodejos of this world can’t stop it”.
He said: “Who is Bodejo? Is Bodejo God that he should be making that kind of declaration? Only God knows tomorrow. Bodejo is going too far by trying to play God. What Bodejo should realize is that if God has destined it that Tinubu will be President of Nigeria in 2023, one million Bodejos of this world can’t stop it. Who even knows what will happen between now and 2023; it is only God. Bodejo’s statement is not only reckless but also very unfortunate.
“What Bodejo should realize is that it is Tinubu’s constitutional right to aspire for any political office in the country including the presidency. It is now left for Bodejo to vote or not to vote for him. Bodejo has only one vote. It is Nigerians that will determine Tinubu’s fate if he has such an agenda.”
Ajomole told the Miyetti Allah leader to worry more about finding a solution to the alleged killings of innocent Nigerians by herdsmen and leave Tinubu’s ambition out of his mouth.
He also debunked Bodejo’s claim that Tinubu is not a Yoruba leader as he is not widely accepted in the region.
“That’s his own view, but there is no controversy about it, and the fact still remains that today as we are speaking, Tinubu is our leader. Not only that, he is also a Yoruba leader, and his leadership is recognised and acceptable to the Yoruba,” he said.
Both interviews were published by The Sun newspaper on Saturday.