Ikimi, a former APC chieftain, defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) recently. He traced his defection on what he called ‘deep-seated anti-nationalistic and discriminatory tendencies,’ in the APC as well as the ‘reckless self-aggrandizement demonstrated’ by Tinubu, who he claimed gave himself the position of national leader, forcing a weak leadership on the party.
But reacting yesterday, Tinubu said Ikimi’s action confirmed the fear APC had of Ikimi during formation of the party.
“At the formation of the APC, a crucial debate ensued about what to do about persons like Ikimi, who had done awful things in the past, but who were now minded to align with the progressives tendency in Nigerian politics. Should we forever blacklist them? This would have been the easiest route, but it would have kept rancor alive. It would have made us slaves to the bleakest chapters of our past. Instead, we opted to extend the hand of brotherhood, reconcile and put the past behind us. This would enable a broader political consensus, while also giving the likes of Ikimi an opportunity to atone for their grievous wrongs against the people and be rehabilitated.
“We recognized that many leading Nigerians had committed acts of shame. Some for private profit, others who were otherwise decent people, who had become prisoners to a terrible system.
“Not surprisingly, Ikimi acting true to type, abused that magnanimity. He was never sincerely committed to the party. He was always playing out a PDP script. He only wanted the chairmanship of the party as a bargaining chip for negotiations with his benefactors. His defection purportedly on account of the loss of the chairmanship of the party is a mere subterfuge, once his ploy failed, he had no other objective within the party, I knew he would go back to his sponsors. He is back in the company he deserves. And APC is better for it,” Tinubu stated.
The former governor debunked the alleged meeting Ikimi claimed he (Tinubu) had with the Minister of Petroleum, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke as regards the Oando/ConocoPhillips transaction on the eve of APC convention. He said the former minister was only playing on the fact that the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Oando Plc, Mr. Wale Tinubu, is his nephew. He said series of investigations into the Oando investments had absolved him of any investment in the oil and gas company.
“My public position on the entire transaction is that if an indigenous Nigerian oil and gas entity run by young serious-minded Nigerians raised money transparently in the international capital markets to purchase private assets of a multi-national, the Federal Government ought to give its consent. That it took so long is shameful. The ConocoPhillips transaction was a $1.7 billion investment in Nigeria that would create more jobs, witness the establishment of allied industries and make the Nigerian economy more attractive. I would have been extremely proud to have made such a transaction possible,” Tinubu added.
 |
Tinubu to Ikimi: You’re lying |
No comments:
Post a Comment