For the sake of these two, Buhari will do everything humanly possible within his powers, to see that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, their APC god, doesn’t win the 2023 presidential election, through the back door. Buhari doesn’t forgive, and nor does he forget. Elrufai cannot plot a Palace coup against Buhari, gang up with 8 other northern governors, form the infamous G9 governors, betray Buhari, and expect Buhari not to fight back as the C-in-C of the country.
He and his likes believed Buhari will forgive them, & accept Tinubu. But the Buhari I know doesn’t forgive. He likes laughing last, & his dangerous laugh is always the loudest. The man will literally be pinching you, & be blowing the area breeze, so you don’t feel the pain too much.
As for Elrufai, he can rant to the high heavens, Buhari no send. Shortly after the 2019 elections, President Buhari started knowing some truths about former president Goodluck Jonathan, and his government. He discovered that almost everything that was sold to him, and said to him about Jonathan were all lies and propaganda. Championed by Elrufai and Tinubu’s camp in APC.
Despite all the efforts Buhari’s government made, in trying to indict Jonathan, they found nothing personally authentic, to hold him with. The pockets of corruption they were able to trace, were traced to his appointees. All the alleged threats, & misuse of state powers, were discovered to be lies. Elrufai lied to Nigerians, while Tinubu was busy using the media to spread propaganda against Jonathan.
But the most shocking of all to Buhari is, Jonathan left the government and kept his mouth shut.
Buhari brought Jonathan closer to himself, instructed all security agencies investigating Jonathan & his family to hand off from it, instructed EFCC to release his wife’s properties, and monies back to her, and Buhari stopped criticizing Jonathan in public ever since till date.
Buhari became very close friends with Jonathan, and Jonathan became a regular visitor to Aso Rock until #EndSARS happened, the country was thrown into turmoil, and Buhari’s international ratings depreciated. His performance in government was so down, the country was divided. Jonathan was doing well internationally, representing Nigeria as an elder statesman, and an international envoy, well accepted and respected by the international community.
Buhari needed someone who can reunite the country on all fronts, across religious, ethnic and political lines as his successor, but not at the detriment of the North. He saw that person only in Jonathan, who can be widely accepted as president, and still command the respect & love of the entire country. He secretly picked Jonathan as his successor and kept it a secret from a few people.
(1) Buhari knew that Jonathan is not power drunk, not over-ambitious, and he will not probe him, Buhari’s government or any of his appointees if given power.
(2) Jonathan is loved by PDP members, He enjoys a wide range of public sympathy, and he is loved by southerners, including Igbos.
But above all, he has just 4 years to steady the sinking ship. To repair Nigeria, revive her dying economy, reunite the country, and conduct a free, fair, credible, and transparent election, just as he did in 2015, that will eventually benefit a Northerner. So Buhari settled for Jonathan, and the modalities, on how to perfect his plans started.
Elrufai is a product of Atiku Abubakar, who jumped ship, to be loyal to Obasanjo, after Atiku brought him into government. Atiku recommended him for an appointment, as the head of BPE to Obasanjo. Atiku also recommended him for appointment as FCT minister, when Obasanjo asked for a strong person to implement Abuja’s Original master plan, without fear. But Elrufai betrayed Atiku and pledged his loyalty to Obasanjo. He went behind to backstab Atiku, before Obasanjo. That is who Elrufai is.
When he was booted out of government, he started his lies. Using ethnic Fulani as his lying tool. Buhari being a man who doesn’t joke with his ethnic group, both in Nigeria and abroad, brought Elrufai close to himself, as someone who champions the fight of the Fulani people.
Politically, he became Buhari’s political Godson, because Buhari was based in Kaduna by then. They held different political meetings, Buhari and his CPC members, of which Elrufai became part of them. He kept lying every day about Fulani oppression at the hands of Jonathan’s government. How Jonathan was killing Muslims and Fulanis.
Lagos media, and political structure, now saw him as a very useful propaganda machine, to be used. Both Elrufai and Tinubu’s camps sold all sorts of negative narratives against Jonathan’s govt. Buhari believed them because Elrufai is a Muslim, whom Buhari never expected to be lying to him. So when Buhari secretly settled for Jonathan, he told Elrufai his political Godson, his plan and choice in confidence that Elrufai should keep it a secret, while he works it out.
Buhari told the APC caretaker chairman, the governor of Yobe state, his choice. That they should start making arrangements on Jonathan’s decamping to the APC. The chairman and some APC governors paid Jonathan a visit at his private residence, to inform him on their plans. Because Jonathan was still a member of the PDP then, they have to look for a balance on how he can decamp without raising eyebrows.
Jonathan personally asked for the assurance of the president about this, and the party chairman on the promise because he doesn’t want any disgrace. By then the press & some APC stalwarts were beginning to hear about the rumours. The press confronted Buhari over his choice of successor, and he told them, his successor will remain a secret. When they confronted him again, he said if he names his successor, they will eliminate him. He was assured of the president’s blessings and extra assurance that his good reputation will not be trashed in the dustbin.
For President Buhari to assure Jonathan about his promise, he promised Jonathan to make him a consensus candidate of the APC without primaries. So Buhari started to push for a consensus APC candidate, whom he will hand pick. When Buhari took his choice of successor seriously, just as he did with the new APC chairman, whom he succeeded in hand-picking, Elrufai knew Buhari was serious and wants to make Jonathan president.
Elrufai decided to betray him, by leaking Buhari’s secret to Tinubu. As someone very close to Buhari, to whom Buhari tells most of his secrets, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, believed it, and went on a media show, to his Yoruba people to cry in Abeokuta where he said Olule & Emilokan. Now the plot to scuttle Jonathan’s candidacy through negative media remarks started. Meanwhile, Buhari had set motions in place, through his boys in government, for people to protest at Jonathan’s house, to ask him to run for president. Unknowingly to Buhari, Elrufai had sold out.
The Buhari strategic team really did the soft work for Jonathan’s smooth landing of the APC presidential ticket, behind the scenes. They mobilised youths, for a protest march to GEJ’s Abuja residence, to beg him to come out and run for president although it was pre-arranged.
The whole idea was, for ordinary Nigerians to have that belief or mindset that, Jonathan was actually pressured to come out and run, for president, even against his wish so it will justify him when he eventually declares for APC. Still unknown to them, Elrufai had other plans.
They got a Fulani group to buy him the APC presidential form, of 100 million nairas. Even though behind the scene, Jonathan actually gave them the money. Jonathan also paid a courtesy visit to the new APC National chair Abdullahi Adamu, where he was assured of the party’s support. Elrufai was nursing the ambition to be vice president in 2023, if he can successfully plan a Palace coup, that can outsmart Buhari’s plan. He had Ameachi, or Tinubu as his best bet, to achieving that dream.
So he opposed Buhari’s selection of Jonathan, as his successor. He fell out with Buhari’s cabal members, (kitchen cabinet). He led a rebellion against Buhari’s choice of candidate, Elrufai alongside some governors. They insisted that there will be no consensus candidates. It must be party primaries or nothing. He was banished from the villa. They intimated the president, and they ridiculed him, to the extent Mr president had to remind them, that they all chose their successors, at state levels, but they don’t want him to choose his successor as president. He tried to convince them to see reasons with him, but no way. The controversy & uproar became so much over Jonathan’s candidacy, led by Elrufai.
Jonathan had to meet with Buhari, to inform him of his loss of interest, & withdrawal from the race because he is not ready to taint his image. Since his consensus candidacy can’t be guaranteed. Jonathan left the picture quietly. Buhari now settled for senate president Ahmed Lawan, as his preferred successor, for the APC presidential ticket, and also for power to remain in the North, haven known that Atiku will emerge from the PDP. He was hoping for a Northeast contest.
Buhari also insisted on a consensus candidacy, so Ahmed Lawan, can easily clinch the APC ticket, but governor Elrufai again, now leading a group of 9 politically scheming governors, G9, vehemently opposed president Buhari’s request. While insisting that Power must be zoned to the south, and the APC presidential candidate, must be decided by party primaries.
They became the 9 wise men, from the North. According to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s camp. They are governors of Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kwara, Niger, Plateau, Nasarawa, Zamfara, & Borno states. Elrufai led a very strong rebellion, this time around against President Buhari’s choice of Ahmed Lawan.
All efforts by president Buhari to settle with them were bluffed. While behind Elrufai and other G9 governors negotiated for VP slot. Tinubu personally promised the whole G9 governors, the vice presidential slot, unknown, if they work for his emergence as APC presidential flag bearer. They became radicals, as Buhari insists on Ahmed Lawan, & consensus. Buhari now directed the APC chairman, to handle his request. That led to a nationwide brouhaha, and dramas, before the APC primaries. They eventually arm-twisted Adamu and president Buhari to accept their bidding.
Power must be zoned to the south, no consensus, and there must be party primaries. 11 APC governors, eventually settled for power to return to the south. Before then, Emiefele who was one of the Aso Rock cabal’s choices had already been silenced by APC Govs through the courts, after investing so much in campaign vehicles, mobilization & logistics. Emiefele was bitter. The APC governors eventually had their way.
It was time for the APC presidential primaries. Eagle Square was boiling up with uncertainty.
Tinubu’s G9 governors prior to the primaries have been building and mending bridges for their candidates, by arranging for delegates. There were too many dollars to play around with, at Eagle Square, to induce delegates for votes. But no one saw Tinubu’s masterstroke before he unleashed it. While other APC presidential aspirants were busy negotiating for votes to buy, from statutory delegates, Tinubu openly bought over his fellow Aspirants, by reaching a late agreement with them to step down.
He refunded every one of them the 100 million they paid for the party tickets, he paid them double the amount they had spent on delegates, with political promises to go with it. One by one, 7 of them stepped down for Tinubu on live TV, & handed over their delegates to him. But behind the scene, they were handsomely rewarded. That was the masterstroke that gave Tinubu the APC presidential party ticket.
The like of Ameachi & Osinbajo didn’t see that coming. The open betrayal of the process, by other Aspirants, in favour of Tinubu did not sit well with the likes of Ameachi, Osinbajo, Lawan, & President Buhari. After voting, when the results trickled in, Buhari was seen to be virtually unhappy. But the president had his plans. The party primaries were over, Tinubu was declared the winner, and everyone returned back to their normal lives.
So it was time for President Buhari to prove that he is truly the C-in-C, and Aso Rock still controls the political process in Nigeria. Buhari knew the likes of Elrufai, Ganduje, & co, can not win the election, without riding on the backs of popular candidates, or vote buying. Because in their local domain, they are not popular without him. Many of them wouldn’t have been governors, without Buhari in 2015. So Buhari promised to play his role as C-in-C when the time is right.
As they have denied him the right as president to choose his successor, they should also ensure that their candidate, wins the 2023 presidential election, through them under a free & fair electoral process. As far as, president Muhammadu Buhari remains the president, he will deny their presidential candidate, all the instrumentality of states, including Federal might.
That their candidate must win the presidential election under a free and fair electoral atmosphere. Tinubu became the new bride of APC politicians, he became the most important person in the party, as they all snubbed Buhari and Aso Rock, while they run and gather around Tinubu for political promises ahead of time. Even Tinubu himself also snubbed Buhari as he shopped for his running mate, but Buhari wasn’t bothered. If Buhari was to be informed of his vice presidential choice, he knows Buhari will never support a Muslim-Muslim ticket.
Something Tinubu had proposed in 2015 but was vehemently rejected by Buhari. After settling for Kashim Shettima, and snubbing all the G9 governors, who stood by him, it was time to make political promises, and share positions with them ahead of time.
For real politics to begin. It was time to begin the real politics, on how to win the election. After trying all available permutations, on how to garner votes, to win the 2023 presidential election, the bulk eventually stopped in front of President Mohammadu Buhari. As the most important person, Tinubu and the APC needs, if they must win the presidential election. Like dogs, those governors shamelessly returned back to Buhari, being led by Elrufai, to apologise to him, in order to make peace.
To beg for his support as never before, so Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu can win the 2023 presidential election. Buhari in his usual way told them that he is not against Tinubu as the APC presidential candidate, neither is he against any of them. But what he will promise them is, Tinubu must contest and win the presidential election, in a free & fair atmosphere, without external advantage. Fearing any uncertainty, Tinubu through APC governors, strategically distributed almost a trillion naira in cash, all around the country, for vote-buying purposes. Because he was hell-bent on winning the 2023 presidential election, no matter what. Emiefele being the Governor of CBN, got wind of the information, on how Tinubu, through APC governors have strategically distributed raw cash all around the country, for vote-buying purposes.
He took the information to Buhari and showed him proof. Buhari was furious, but there is little or nothing he could do because those governors had immunity protecting them, by the constitution. So Emiefele suggested a currency redesign, to stop them, and many more like them who are hoarding the naira from circulating. Currency redesign was long overdue, coupled with security reports before Buhari, on how bandits, kidnappers, militants, terrorist, and politicians are hoarding the naira, from circulation.
Reducing the 3.32 trillion released by CBN into circulation, to just 500 billion only. Buhari hurriedly approved Emiefele’s proposal to properly checkmate Tinubu and his vote-buying Governors. The currency was hurriedly resigned, with just colour changes to the big denominations, with fewer amounts released into circulation, to quickly checkmate those politicians. Buhari gave Emiefele the approval to draft policy implementation, which will make vote buying almost impossible with the new naira note. That he will stand by him. That was why the cash withdrawal limit, was added. To checkmate Tinubu, APC govs, & all those hoarding cash to buy votes.
That is the reason why no matter how Nigerians cry, Buhari is not ready to shift grounds, to allow the use of those old currencies because he has concrete proof, as to how Tinubu through governors had strategically distributed raw cash, for vote buying despite court pronouncement.
@Truthfully73, an anonymous private investigator on Twitter.
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