BETRAYAL: How Ungrateful Tambuwal Bit Tinubu’s Fingers That Fed Him Over Gbajabiamila
A month after the position of the Speaker of the House of Representatives was decided, the unofficial position of the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has drawn the battle line between himself and Tambuwal.
According to online news report, Tinubu, who played host to Tambuwal at his Asokro residence in Abuja, a fortnight after the speakership election in which Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila lost to Hon Yakubu Dogara, told Tambuwal that “with what you did to Femi in the House, you have severed the umbilical cord joining you with the South-West.”
Tinubu, a source revealed, was in company of some Northern members of the APC when the ex Speaker came calling. “Did you people in the House do this in anticipation of 2019; it is too early. You should allow this government to succeed,” Tinubu was quoted as saying. In an emotion laden voice, Tinubu reminded the Sokoto State governor of the role Gbajabiamila played in his emergence as Speaker in 2011. It was common knowledge that Tinubu, persuaded by Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, had started galvanising support for former House Leader, Hon Mulikat Adeola-Akande in the immediate past 7th National Assembly. But when Gbajabiamila rushed to him with the name of Tambuwal, he quickly accepted.
Before doing so, he prodded Gbajabiamila on whether Tambuwal can be trusted and the former acquiesced. Gbajabiamila even had additional praise for the ex-speaker, saying if it is intelligence and competence, then Tambuwal is undoubtedly the man. The APC leader decried how Tambuwal stampeded Gov. Abdulazeez Yari of Zamfara State into cajoling members from his state to vote against Gbajabiamila. Openly chastised, Tambuwal hurriedly pleaded with Tinubu to drop the matter, saying ” it appears this is not a good time to come and see you, I’ll come back again some other time.”
It was gathered that Tinubu was miffed by Tambuwal’s betrayal of Gbajabiamila not only because of the role he played in his emergence as Speaker in 2011 but because of his influence to secure the governorship ticket of Sokoto for him. Initially, Tambuwal’s predecessor, Senator Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko, had preferred and worked for a relative of his to succeed him. But Tinubu prevailed on him to give it to Tambuwal, arguing that it will be unfair to leave the incumbent governor in the lurch after his travails in the hands of the PDP.
The source added that it was Tinubu who purchased the N21 million nomination form for Tambuwal to run for the presidency as his thought was that should Buhari decide to step down, Tambuwal would have been drafted in his place.
