Jonathan planning to corner $1 bn Boko Haram loan for own ambition- Tinubu

The presidency tackles former Lagos governor for accusing Mr. Jonathan of masterminding the removal of Murtala Nyako as Adamawa State governor.

A former Lagos State Governor, Ahmed Tinubu, has accused President Goodluck Jonathan of lying to Nigerians about a $1 billion loan request he tabled last week before the National Assembly.

Mr. Jonathan said the huge borrowing will help equip and train the Nigerian military to combat the extremist group, Boko Haram.

But the plan, which will further raise Nigeria’s debt profile, has drawn criticisms from many Nigerians.

Mr. Tinubu, who is also a national leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, described the request as “dubious”, saying it is meant to serve as a cover for Mr. Jonathan to corner public funds for himself and his party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

“It’s another pretence to take what belongs to the public and hand over to his party and his ambition,” Mr. Tinubu said Sunday. “Jonathan, by couching it as a loan to fight terrorism, thinks Nigerians will not see through the deceit.”

Mr. Tinubu urged Nigerians to reject the loan request.

Meanwhile, the political adviser to President Jonathan, Rufa’i Alkali, said on Sunday that electoral victory would continue to elude the APC until its leaders learnt to accept the principle of popular democracy that the electorates have right to choose who should lead them.

Reacting to an allegation by a national leader of APC, Bola Tinubu, that President Goodluck Jonathan engineered the impeachment of former Governor of Adamawa State despite public pronouncement by Murtala Nyako to the contrary, Mr. Alkali said the APC leaders appeared to have lost their focus since they lost Ekiti governorship poll.

Mr. Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State had in a statement on Friday accused Mr. Jonathan and the ruling PDP of contriving Mr. Nyako’s impeachment last Tuesday.

He also accused the president of behaving like a dictator.

Mr. Alkali, a former spokesperson of the ruling PDP, said it was absurd for any political party that wants to win the presidency to denigrate the same office that it wants to occupy.

He stated that it was particularly pathetic that Mr. Tinubu, who contributed immensely in the struggle for return to democratic governance, had now joined the league of those engaged in acts that are likely truncate the same institution he fought for.

“It is very strange for Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, someone who has led government before, someone who has been in the forefront of advancing democracy for many years, to descend so low as to cast aspersions on the President of this country on issues he cannot defend,” the presidential aide said.

“It appears to me that since the Ekiti election, which PDP decisively won, Tinubu and APC leaders have lost their focus. This is democracy, it gives everybody the right to speak; but in doing so, you should not undermine institutions of governance, the same institution you are aspiring to take over and manage.

“Recently, the Adamawa State House of Assembly impeached their governor and even as that happened, the APC was up in arms, that it was Mr. President that impeached the governor of Adamawa State.

“Why should he do that and how can he do that? Are you saying the 24 or 25 members of the House of Assembly are not in control of their constituencies, that there are no leaders or stakeholders in Adamawa State who worked for or with former Governor Nyako who could have stopped the impeachment.

Mr. Alkali noted that the PDP had lost a lot to the opposition either in court or through election, yet it stood firm and decided to continue to build on what it had and moved forward.

He said just like in Ekiti State where the APC lost in the governorship election last month, the opposition party would still lose to the PDP in next month’s election in Osun State.

He said, “PDP has lost a lot to opposition political parties. I have said this repeatedly either at the court or more recently through defection, yet PDP stood firm and said let us continue to build on what we have and move forward.

“After losing Ekiti, the story has changed. It is time for them to tell one another the home truth. If they are prepared to govern this country, then they must be prepared also to accept the principle of popular democracy that the people of this country would want to choose who should lead them and if they don’t, can’t or fail to convince people, they must also be ready to admit failure.”

“No matter the grandstanding our journey to Osun state continues and surely just as was the case in Ekiti state, the people of Osun state will triumph. We are confident that our candidate Senator Iyiola Omisore is a man of the people.”