Tinubu was foolish to have aligned with Buhari – Adebanjo

First Republic politician and a staunch Awoist, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, has revealed how he played a major role in the political career of a national leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who he categorically described as “his own creation”.

Adebanjo however likened the alliance which the former Lagos governor entered into with the North ahead of the 2015 general elections as foolishness, asserting that Tinubu is already getting the short end of the stick in the deal he struck with Muhammadu Buhari before the polls.

The former member of the National Democratic Coalition, NADECO, who bared his mind in an interview with The Sun newspaper, declared that the APC leader would be deceiving himself if he thinks President Buhari would allow him become President.

Narrating how he made Tinubu, the octogenarian said, “Tinubu was abroad. We were the people facing the fire at home. When they said I imposed Akerele, they should say I imposed Tinubu too. I do not know Ajomale all this time. Ajomale is a creation of Tinubu. And Tinubu is my own creation by the grace of God.

“I signed his papers. We conducted the primaries under which he became the governor. If I was partisan, Tinubu would not have been governor. But he won a primary election which we set up which was disputed by the chairman of Lagos AD.

“When Tinubu won the primaries, he wanted another person and we said no. It was not a question of imposing, but rewarding people who worked for the party. By the time we elected Tinubu, where was Ajomale in those days? What position was he holding in any branch of the Alliance For Democracy (AD)?

“So, because he has become a stooge of Tinubu now, he can be talking nonsense. They should beware when they cast aspersion on their seniors. Tinubu would not even say what he said.”

On the pact the former Lagos governor had with Buhari and his Northern bloc which resulted in the birthing of the APC, Adebanjo said, “The purpose of the South going into an alliance with the North is different from what the North enters into any alliance with the South.

“It is like the foolishness of Tinubu when I warned him from going into alliance with them. He thought he was going to make use of Buhari and Buhari knew that he was going to make use of him.

“He has the mistaken belief which I still believe that he is still having now that if I go along with them, Buhari would allow him become the president. He is just deceiving himself. It can never be until we arrive at how we are going to have it.

“They have not been reading, when we told them that Sauduana said he was going to rule the country until he drops the Quran in the sea, they thought we were joking. When we told them about Buhari, they thought we were joking.

“Go and see when the North has been clamouring to rule the country. They do not want to share. If they say they want to go into alliance, they are just finding a way to put you in their pockets.

“Go and ask Tinubu what Buhari is doing now with this administration. Would he be honest to say that he is following what they agreed on? APC has legacy parties; what did they agree upon. Did they agree upon the fact that majority of the security posts must be Fulani as it is now.

“You media men should be asking questions. I am too old to speak this way. Tinubu and his people say they are the progressives, how progressive are they in collaboration with the CPC? What is progressive in the CPC programme? Even the supporters of Buhari say this is the most nepotistic government that Nigeria has had.

“Neither Tinubu nor the APC has said anything about it since they came into government. Is that what he promised the Yoruba when he was going there that they would be suppressed and that all the principal officers must be given to the Fulani?” he asked.