Arewa leader, Alhaji Musa Saidu has reiterated that it was the support of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu that made it possible for the late Muhammadu Buhari to be elected president of the country in 2015, pointing out that Buhari had contested the presidential election three times but could not win until the duo went into a political alliance.
He spoke in response to the former Rivers State governor’s claim that he, not Tinubu, deserves the credit for Buhari clinching the presidency, stressing that he led key political efforts that helped secure the electoral win.
Amaechi stated this in an interview with Arise TV against the backcloth of Tinubu’s repeated claim that Buhari would not have become president without his intervention and political support. Tinubu had said Buhari failed in three previous presidential attempts before he persuaded him to contest again ahead of the 2015 election.
According to Tinubu, he visited Buhari in Katsina and convinced him to return to the race, insisting that the former president eventually won because of the political coalition he built.
But Amaechi disagreed with the narrative, saying several individuals contributed to the formation of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Buhari’s eventual victory.
“When we decided to form the APC, while I was a minister, President Tinubu was claiming he made Buhari president, and I couldn’t respond because I was the minister under President Buhari.
“That will be suicidal because Buhari could fire you. So I couldn’t have said no then. He wasn’t the president. I couldn’t tell him, ‘You are wrong. You didn’t make President Buhari president.
”Not only was I the DG of the campaign, but everybody will bear witness that I did all the battle,” he said.
The former Minister of Transportation maintained that he led extensive political mobilisation across the country as chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and director-general of Buhari’s presidential campaign. “I led the governors’ forum. I crisscrossed the country fighting here and there,” he said.
Weighing in on the argument, Saidu pointed out that it was when Tinubu came in with his support base from the Yoruba axis that Buhari was able to win the presidential election, urging Amaechi to acknowledge this truth.
The northern leader maintained that even though Amaechi was the Director-General of Buhari’s campaign organisation in his first term, he could not deliver votes from Rivers State to Buhari.
He said as Buhari’s campaign DG, Amaechi only met with Tinubu and Buhari supporters across the country that were already working for Buhari, stressing that Amaechi could not add much value to Buhari’s election since he could not deliver his own Rivers State to the APC.
Saidu recalled that Wike gave Rivers votes entirely to former president Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
His words: “Amaechi thinks we don’t know his political history: Tinubu’s contribution to Buhari’s presidency is acknowledged by the north and all over the country. Buhari only succeeded when Tinubu partnered with him. Amaechi cannot erase the substantial contribution of Tinubu to Buhari’s emergence as president
“Mind you president Buhari appointed Amaechi a Minister for eight years. So he was rewarded with the appointment for the little role he played.
“The north has been grateful to Tinubu . Late Justice Nasiru Maman even told us to support Tinubu whenever he showed interest in contesting the presidential election.
“People Amaechi met as Director General of the Buhari campaign were supporters of Tinubu and Buhari. And they were all loyal to the Buhari presidential ambition.
“He said he funded Buhari. Maybe he should tell Nigerians how much he spent. Well ! That should be between him and Buhari. But don’t forget that Buhari appointed him a Minister for eight years.
“I advise Amaechi to focus his campaign in his area. But again I don’t think he has a good support base in his state and the south.
“Buhari contested several times until Tinubu came in; that was when he won.
“In Rivers State, Amaechi could not bring votes; Wike delivered the votes to former president Goodluck Jonathan.
“Rivers State is firmly in the grip of Nyesom Wike. I wonder where Amaechi’s vote will come from in the south or in Rivers State in this his presidential project.”
Saidu went on to thank Tinubu for the support he gave to Buhari that made him president a few years ago. “We thank Tinubu for his role . I am not a politician. I am thanking Tinubu. I know what I suffered when I said it years ago that Tinubu made Buhari president. We can’t hide it because it was very clear,” he said.
