As Tinubu Attacks Buhari Using Kachikwu As Decoy

Buhari

Tinubu

“We are trying to dampen the high expectations, there is no way we can perform miracles because the damage took 16 years, especially on the economy and unemployment,”-President-elect Muhammadu Buhari, April 21, 2015.


“I am not a Magician I cannot provide immediate solution to fuel crisis”-Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, March 23, 2016.


The national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is one of the most powerful men in the APC-led federal government. He is believed to have made John Oyegun the national chairman of APC instead of Tom Ikimi who vied for the position with Oyegun. He is also said to be instrumental to the emergence of Prof Yemi Osinbajo as the vice presidential candidate to the presidential candidate of the party, General Muhammadu Buhari in the 2015 presidential election in which the APC defeated the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
To many Nigerians who understand how politics works, Tinubu is the Godfather of Osinbajo who also served as a commissioner in his administration as Lagos State governor. In other words Osinbajo is his Godson. And if there is one Nigerian who should have the telephone numbers of President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, that Nigerian is Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
However, despite having unfettered access to Aso Rock Villa and having the telephone numbers of Buhari and Osibanjo (I take it for granted that he has their numbers), Tinubu choose to attack the minister appointed by Buhari in public by issuing a statement which he personally signed to show the seriousness of the matter.
On the surface of it, Tinubu’s anger with the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr Ibe Kachikwu was that the minister after stakeholders meeting on the petroleum sector, at the Presidential Villa, allegedly said that he was not a magician that can provide immediate solution to the lingering fuel crisis. Perhaps it was a wrong choice of words used to express dismay that people expected quick solution to a problem that had been lingering for the past 16 years. In any case what Kachikwu said was no different from what President Muhammadu Buhari said shortly after his election victory in 2015, when he said: “We are trying to dampen the high expectations, there is no way we can perform miracles because the damage took 16 years, especially on the economy and unemployment.” The then President-elect was speaking to members of the Bauchi State All Progressives Congress (APC) during a meeting and was widely reported in the media (readers can Google it).
Even the APC in the past nine months have blamed the immediate past administration of Goodluck Jonathan for all the problems they have not been able to fix. Tinubu has also blamed the past administration for the woes of the country which he also alluded to in his statement demanding that Kachikwu should apologise to Nigerians over his statement.
The big question is, why go to the media to express your displeasure when you have the ear of the president? He could have called Buhari or Osinbajo on phone or even visit Aso Rock to demand that Kachikwu be reprimanded. His public intervention is therefore likely to be viewed as not being motivated by national interest.
Let us also not forget that President Buhari, who is also the Minister of Petroleum was at that stakeholders meeting and that Kachikwu may in fact be speaking the mind of the president. If truth be told when it comes to petroleum policy decisions in this administration, the buck stops on Buhari’s table, who was also a minister of petroleum during General Olusegun Obasanjo’s military administration, thus is not new to the sector.
By attacking Kachikwu in public, Tinubu is indirectly questioning the judgement of President Muhammadu Buhari, who took more than four months after he was sworn in as president to search out Kachikwu and made him the Group Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Minister of State for Petroleum.
It is obvious that Tinubu is angry over something in this administration. It may have to do with some policy decisions taken by Buhari himself and since he cannot take on Buhari who is viewed as a man of impeccable character and integrity, the best way is to rubbish him through one of his ministers. Nigerians should be rest assured that the last has not been heard about this issue. APC leaders and supporters should watch this very keenly.