A former Lagos senator and ambassador, Musiliu Obanikoro, fondly called Koro, has allegedly denied a widely circulated statement on the national leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying the words weren’t his.
Recall that after 10years in the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Obanikoro returned to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2017, claiming he was on a mission.
He also said he was happy to return to the ruling party fold of his age-long political associates after his long sojourn in the PDP, where according to him, he couldn’t find fulfillment in the PDP and he joined the ruling party because he had a mission to render service on its platform.
“Today, I and others are not just joining the APC for joining sake, we are joining because we are on a mission.
“I had joined the PDP a few years ago with the hope that certain things would be done right to enable me make the desired impact. That did not happen.
“And now, Asiwaju Tinubu has taken leadership to another level, not only in the state, but at the national level.
“So, my joining the APC is not by accident. It is to return to my people and seek a platform on which I can render service to my people, because leadership is about service and co-ordination of talents to achieve results.
“We have looked everywhere, and the only party that offers that platform for service delivery is the APC.
“For me, this is not really a defection; it is a home-coming, because in a way, this is my root. I am happy to return to my people; no place like home,” he said at an event where he was presented the APC flag by the state chairman, Henry Ajomale.
Not long after, a statement, purportedly authored by the former Minister of State for Defence during Goodluck Jonathan’s administration started circulating in the media.
It read:
“When I missed the road, I thought Leader will call me and pamper me, he didn’t. And I can’t just go back to him like that, so I decided to find my path in another place until I realised that the more I refuse to go back to my political root the more crisis I get myself involved. Jagaban cannot be destroyed by human being, Wallahi Tallahi, if it were possible, he shouldn’t have escaped human destruction in 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015 and even now…Indeed, he is a man whose face is the politics of Nigeria. Fighting him has made him more than what he would have been if I had peace with him. We may need more of him in Africa but One of him is enough for Lagos and Nigeria”.
Obanikoro, who claimed he first ignored it to avoid needless and avoidable political uproar, said there was need for clarification as a devout Muslim.
“I have come to a realisation now that there is a need for some clarifications, more so, as a devout muslim, because allowing such fictitious concoctions to gain and assume a life of its own could mean inadvertently condoning an abuse of the social space.
“First, those words aren’t mine and thus, didnt emanate from me. Second, it is un-islamic to express my love, respect, admiration and political indebtedness to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the way it is done …. It is cheap and does not address the core of the issues.
“To that extent, anywhere you find the statement attributed to me, please, ignore and discard as the handiwork of mischief makers,” he concluded.
Source: Read more at tvcnews.tv
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