The All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, has said that his outburst in Abeokuta, Ogun State, days to the party’s presidential primary was due to a perceived gang-up against his candidacy.
He also disclosed that his victory at the party’s special convention and presidential primary did not come easy, adding that he battled a ‘gang up’ working to topple his chances of winning.
Tinubu stated this on Sunday when he returned to Lagos State for the first time after clinching the APC presidential ticket during the primary held early this month in Abuja.
The APC stalwart said he poured out his mind when he noticed the gang-up, referring to his outburst when he met the party’s delegates in Abeokuta on June 2.
During the visit, Tinubu had said that the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), would not have become president in 2015, if not for him.
“If not for me that stood behind Buhari, he wouldn’t have become the President. He tried the first time, he failed. The second time, he failed. The third, he failed, He even wept on national television and vowed never to contest again but I went to meet him in Kaduna and told him he will run again, I will stand by you and you will win, but you must not joke with Yorubas and he agreed.”
Tinubu later emerged winner at the party’s presidential primary. His homecoming on Sunday turned into a carnival immediately after his motorcade rolled into the town. A crowd of residents lined up along the convoy’s route, with Tinubu acknowledging cheers and waving his broom from the window.
The convoy moved to the palace of Oba of Lagos, Alayeluwa Rilwan Akiolu, where the APC National Leader received royal blessings.
At the palace, Tinubu said despite the seeming gang up against his person, he stood his ground, poured out his mind and fought to win the presidential ticket.
“There is no Lagos indigene that has had the opportunity to become President of Nigeria, despite the contribution of the State to the national stability and progress. The highest position attained by any Lagosian in national leadership is the position of Chief Judge of the Federation.
“I took up the fight to break this jinx. The battle to secure the APC ticket was hard. When I was almost fed up, I resorted to prayers. I also poured out my mind when I felt there was a gang up against my person. Thank God that I have brought home the presidential ticket.
“The task ahead is to galvanise our people to get their voter cards and vote to enable us realise this ambition. Getting our people to vote is the most important task before all of us. We need to take this message to our people across communities and sensitise them on the need to vote in the general elections,” Tinubu was quoted as saying in a statement by Sanwo-Olu’s spokesman, Gboyega Akosile.