The national leader of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu has reacted to a publication by The Sun newspapers that he’s colluding with Senate President, Bukola Saraki, to truncate the efforts of President Muhammadu Buhari.

The publication had reported that Tinubu was upset over the fact that he didn’t have as much input as desired in the ministerial nominees of the President.

In a statement released by Sunday Dare, from Tinubu Media Office, the APC leader described The Sun as having sunk to a new low with its mischievous publication.

Tinubu said the report was sponsored by persons who want the unity of the APC shattered and the relationship between him and Buhari, impaired.

“The SUN Newspaper has taken a sad excursion from journalism into the realm of gothic tales and political slander. That sheet has turned itself into a harbor of perjury and malice in telling tales by moonlight. In venturing to publish the recent story that Asiwaju Tinubu has conspired with Senator Saraki to thwart the Buhari administration, the SUN Newspaper has descended to the lowest and darkest rungs of journalism ethics. The stench of the piece and motives behind it are too noxious to ignore.

Those who midwifed this garish tale give birth not to truth but to lies intended to kill APC unity and to retard the Buhari administration’s strategic reform initiatives, as earlier outlined by our party manifesto. Given the potential for change that stands before us, we are now beginning to see the true nature of many people.”

“The idea of an alleged conspiracy between Tinubu and Saraki against the President is an execrable lie. Without any proof except the veil of innuendo and some hatemongers masquerading as presidency sources, the story proclaims that the government is surveilling Asiwaju Tinubu because of his purported unhappiness about the ministerial list.

Too mischievous yet cowardly for their own good, the yarn-spinners at the SUN neglect to precisely state what terrible thing they believe Tinubu to have done. This ambiguity is in part purposeful; their villainy seeks to place the innocent on edge and to cause those who must work together if the nation is to progress to begin to doubt the bona fides of each other. With such a story, they hope to break the walls of confidence so that they may kindle mutual animus between the President and Tinubu. By getting the two to fight and weaken each other, they may then swoop down to destroy both.”

Furthermore, the statement said Bola Tinubu would never work with Saraki to derail the efforts of the government, after having dedicated his life to get the APC in power.

Tinubu also described Saraki as disloyal party member, whom he has not communicated with since he went against the APC to emerge Senate President.

“In our journey to national betterment, plans and policies will be made, then amended. Mistakes will occur and then corrected.  Achievements will be had and replicated. Through it all, Asiwaju will remain true to the progressive ideals that fuelled the creation of the APC. He has devoted his political life to achieve what has been achieved. His heart is too much of the people and his mind too fixed on establishing a positive historic legacy to suffer such a cynical policy or engage in the destructive pettiness of which he is accused.

He would not toss aside a lifetime’s labor because of an alleged slight and certainly would not join with Senator Saraki in stymying this government which may just be the nation’s last best chance to salvage itself.”

“Given the exigencies of his position, President Buhari is placed in an unenviable position to some degree. The duties of his office give him no choice; necessity constrains him, requiring that he discourse with Senator Saraki. As party leader, Asiwaju is free of such constraints.

On these matters, I know where Asiwaju Tinubu stands. He remains glued to the party decision that the manner by which Saraki captured his current seat travestied party discipline. It was a crass act of disloyalty showing that Saraki may have joined the APC on paper but has remained true to the malpractices and wrong aims of the reactionary PDP in his soul.”

“The alleged conspiracy is a figment. It takes at least two people to make a conspiracy. There has been no substantive communication between Asiwaju and Saraki since the latter decided to foul the integrity of the Senate and the party. To be truthful, I don’t think Saraki would care to hear what Asiwaju would have to say to him. He would admonish the Senator to treat the nomination process with dispatch, justice, fairness, transparency, and most of all with the greatest patriotism.

He would counsel Saraki to shelve his personal situation for the moment to concentrate on the people’s business. It would be a grave mistake and abuse of office for Saraki to directly or indirectly inject his personal matter into the approval process. Saraki should not link the approval of a single Minister to his desire for extrajudicial treatment of his issues.”

Kolapo Olapoju