The Presidency has said the attack of the former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, targeted at President Bola Tinubu has no effect.
Henzodaily reports that the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, stated this on Thursday, in an interview with TVC.
He stated that the opposition political parties in the country have no direction. According to him, Nigeria has no organized political party other than the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“The the the political opponent have no direction. There is no organized political party in Nigeria other than APC. I mean almost all the opposition party, they are trying to find their ways.
“I don’t attack because I see that the disposition of Mr. President is that of reconciliatory. If you have seen for the past eighteen months plus that he’s been in government, he has never reacted once to anybody. He has never, been seen being combative or aggressive against anybody. His approach to politics and government, if you have seen virtually 90 to 97% of people around him today, they’ve all worked against him in the past.
“Inclusive of me, I was with him then I left him and I had to come back. That’s his disposition. President does not, he doesn’t believe in this fight thing. El-Rufai is somebody who, like he told you, he’s still in APC. So, you talk to him like a brother,” he said.
El-Rufai Is Grandstanding
Bwala said the current El-Rufai‘s attacks on Tinubu, Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State and on the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu showed he was grandstanding.
“I know he’s grandstanding, and, he seemed to be a bit, having some trouble in finding part. Like, If you leave a governing party to which you have influenced, you have words and you think that you can undertake a mission. You have to have a place that is working to be able to do that. Yeah, I mean, almost every other day on Twitter, he will pick up one person.
“Yesterday, it was the turn of national security adviser. And then the turn of the incumbent governor and the rest. So, I talked to him like a senior brother because I believe that he’s still useful in APC. We don’t have to be combative but in terms of whether he can effect any change in the opposition and the rest, he doesn’t have the capacity to make the President unsettled. No opposition combined or in their separate bodies can make the President unsettled.”
APC Not Disrupting Opposition
Speaking on the allegation that the ruling government was disrupting the opposition with money, the Policy Communication Adviser to the President said it was not true.
“Which APC member is in those parties? You see, you have to be sensitive to know when you outlive your usefulness. That is what is happening to PDP. It has outlived its usefulness. It is now a conglomeration and congregation of people who do not have a defined direction,” he explained.
Bwala noted that the opposition should commend the President for including the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, an opposition party-man into his government.
“Wike has never been a member of APC. He has said it over and over. He’s a member of PDP. He has also said that he has a stake in PDP. He said that he sponsored a lot of activities in PDP, and he cannot let, his goodwill in PDP just fly away. So he’s fighting for his right.
“He has a fundamental right to fight for his right. And the president is not particularly saying everybody leave your party. Because we are in governance. So and the president cannot stop working with him because he has a problem in his party. The President operates like Abraham Lincoln.
“He’s guarding the national consensus. So if you are indicting the President when you should praise him for working with everybody, then it is disingenuous to the President. In terms of the political party, their problem didn’t start after the President became president. It started a long time ago,” he stated.
No Coalition Can Work Against The President
He further dismissed the rumored coalition of top political leaders against the President. According to him, no coalition would work.
He continued, “In fact, let me tell you. The coalition they are talking about, they are not even going to run on the platform of PDP. You understand?
“That’s why we say it has outlived its usefulness. They are coming together, they want to flow, they want to go to a different political party at the best spot. The Nigerian people are not sleeping because the Nigerian people are simply looking at this individual and say, are you coming as a new phenomenon? Or is it the gathering of people who left power and they are filled with hunger like somebody who is in drug addiction, and suddenly you are trying to get him out of drug? The minute he starts this withdrawal, that withdrawal syndrome will make him uncomfortable and all kinds of things. That’s what is happening.
“The withdrawal syndrome of power. That is what is happening to them. So but in life generally, you have to open your eyes to see how you reinvent yourself. You have to see how you become relevant. And in politics, there will come a time in your life when you know you need to move on.
“Maybe it is not God’s will for you to get this, or it’s not God’s will for you to get this. Their gathering is not about Nigerians. It’s a gathering of people to come back and grab power. It’s not a gathering with Nigerians in view.
“If it is a gathering, with Nigerian people in mind, they are supposed to be praising the President on policies that is affecting the change in Nigeria. And if they think the President is not doing the right thing, they are supposed to provide what? Alternative. Do they care about the alternative? I mean, the the misery and pain of Nigeria is their talking point.
“The misery and pain of Nigeria is their weapon. They weaponize the situation of the Nigerian people for a political gain. But you see, I have consistently refused to respond to political question. When it is time we will be ready for them. Now we are focused on what we are doing to deliver on the promise of the President to the Nigerian people.
“And we are thankful that these things are beginning to show in every facet of our national life. That’s our joy at the moment.“