The national leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has described as an insult, the insinuation that there is rancour between him and the Lagos state governor, Akinwunmi Ambode.
Tinubu disclosed this in an interview with TVC News on Tuesday in Ikeja during the APC governorship primary in the state.
His words: “It is a democracy day for us. Elections are supposed to be a celebration of democracy for us. And we are proud to face the world and Nigerians that we are democrats because democracy is present in us. What an open election means is an elimination of corruption in the delegate system.”
Speaking on the ongoing governorship primary and the events leading to it, Tinubu said: “It is even beyond me as a leader. Whatever is happening now I have to submit myself to it. People want to participate in what is happening and we have to let that happen”
Tinubu who described as an insult, the insinuations in some quarters that there is love lost between him and the governor, said he has no reason to fight Ambode because he brought him into the party and to the people.
“The governor! Rancour between us! No!. I will regard that as an insult. I brought Ambode to the people. He was a civil servant under me. He performed very well as a civil servant. And when he showed interest in politics after leadership courses in Harvard and others we gave him the opportunity and we presented him to the party and the party accepted him.
“So, if the party now says they want either a change or they want to reaffirm his governorship through an open system, we have to abide by that. If they elect him today, so be it. You see, you will remain relevant as a leader if you once in a while submit yourself to what the people want. We can’t call ourselves democrats if we don’t respect the will of the people,” Tinubu said.
As at the time of filling this report, voting has concluded in most parts of the state with result showing Ambode’s challenger, Sanwoolu in early lead.