As the 2019 general elections draws closer, President Buhari has handed the affairs of his campaign to National Leader of this party the All Progressives Congress, APC, Bola Tinubu. This however has raised a lot of eyebrows, with reports coming in that the State Governors in the party are not comfortable with this arrangement. Opposition parties under the umbrella body CUPP have also asked President Buhari to lead his campaign by himself.

This is coming as the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) asked Buhari not to leave his campaign to Tinubu, while doubting the president’s fitness. Addressing journalists at a news conference in Abuja, CUPP chairman, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, said Buhari would go down in history as the first President to hire a proxy in a presidential contest. The group of over 46 political parties said Buhari must also debate against its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar and account for his stewardship to Nigerians. “President Buhari has, indeed, said Senator Bola Tinubu would do the campaigns on his behalf. We hope he was misquoted. Otherwise, Nigerians should simply ask him to step back from the contest and let his party put Tinubu forward as its candidate. “Buhari would go down as the first candidate in history to hire a proxy in a presidential contest. He is the one contesting, he should not be afraid to be the one to interface directly with Nigerians.”

“We urge Nigerians to insist that President Buhari must show that he is fit and able for the nation’s top job by leading his own campaign and by being at the presidential candidates’ debate.” Checks by our respondent show that aside being unhappy with the rising profile of Tinubu within the corridors of power, some of the governors kicking against Tinubu’s co-chairmanship of the council believed that he is wielding too much powers that could place them at his beck and call. Denying that there was any rancour, APC spokesman, Lanre Issa-Onilu, had said that the Thursday’s parley was not the inaugural meeting and that it was not one meant for everybody.

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