CPC bloc support Tinubu; dismisses plot to dump APC; berates El-Rufai; ‘he’s laying foundation for Nigeria’s prosperity’_ Barau

Senator Jibrin Barau, Deputy President of the Senate Wednesday said that Tinubu was laying a solid foundation for the country’s prosperity, urging Nigerians to support the president in his quest to address the challenges facing the nation.

His utterance is not unconnected with recent reports that members of the CPC bloc within the APC are displeased with Tinubu’s administration and are making plans to join another party.

Aliyu, speaking publicly on el-Rufai’s recent activities, especially his incessant verbal attacks on the current administration, noted that the former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was fighting a personal war, arguing that it wasn’t true that the CPC group was leaving the APC.

“It’s not true. Simple. There’s nothing like members of the defunct CPC wanting to move out of APC. Look, the certificate of CPC was part of what formed APC. So how can we leave? To go to where? It’s our party. APC is our party.

“I’m aware of the fact that the former governor of Kaduna state, who was one of us, went alone (to meet Muhammadu Buhari) in the first instance, to tell the former president that he was going to leave. According to him, that’s what he said.

“And he gave an insinuation as if the former president had endorsed him leaving the party. The next day, the former president came out with a statement that, look, I’m a bona fide member of APC. I’ll continue to be a member of APC. I’m with President Bola Tinubu. So, as regards to el-Rufai, that’s it.

“He has left, which is alright. How many people have left with him? So far, he’s the only person that we know that has left. Of course, eI-Rufai will be identified as majorly Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).  In Nigeria today, nobody will see el-Rufai through the prism of a CPC man,” Aliyu maintained.

He stated that it was ironic that it was the same el-Rufai that was insulting northern elders when Tinubu wanted to become president that has now turned around to oppose the same government, he helped institute, because he was promised a ministerial appointment, which never came to fruition.

“All of a sudden, now, Tinubu is a bad man. So, that’s why I said the elites of this country, the masses need to understand that we, at the level of elites, we are one and the same. So, to me, it’s just about him. If he had been a minister, he would have been in the forefront of insulting the northern leaders again for Tinubu,” Aliyu argued.

Aliyu pointed out that Tinubu is not a bad person, but that he has been painted in that light because the promise of a ministerial appointment to el-Rufai failed. He urged the former governor to see his not becoming a minister as an act of God.

“As a Muslim, he should try to be content. He should know that what God wills will happen…It’s an elite fight. So, the masses need to understand that we are among the elites, we don’t kill ourselves, we don’t insult each other,” he explained.

“He should not bring down the roof because he has just lost out. He has been a governor for eight years; he should not talk about hell. Whatever happened has happened,” the former legislator posited.

And doubling down on the need to support Tinubu’s government on his ongoing reforms to address and put the country on the path of prosperity, Barau in a statement by his Media Adviser, Ismail Mudashir said: “By May 29, it will be exactly two years since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration came on board in the country. Yes, we are not there, and we cannot be in the promised land in less than 23 months when the numerous challenges facing our beloved country have weighed us down for decades.

“A journey has started – the road is rough, but it’s for the restoration of our country’s glorious days. It is not easy to rebuild a shattered building. In the past decades, all spheres of our country – power, road infrastructure, agriculture, education, health, water, housing, and others – have been begging for genuine attention.

“This is coupled with the fact that this government came on board at the time that the entire world economy was and is still quite turbulent due to the high cost of basic goods and services all over the world arising from Russia-Ukraine, and Israel-Palestine wars. Nigeria is certainly not an exception.

“The good news is that the president is genuinely committed to addressing these challenges. Fresh air is already permeating all the country’s spheres, nooks and crannies to the admiration of lovers and good people, irrespective of differences and persuasions,” he said.

Barau, who is the First Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, said that since the present administration was inaugurated on May 29, 2023, Tinubu has left no stone unturned in addressing the country’s challenges.

He added: “The direction is clear, and the foundation is correctly and solidly laid for our country’s transformation and prosperity. For instance, admirable success has been recorded in the area of security. Hundreds of terrorists have been neutralised in the North West geopolitical zone.

“Yes, there are pockets of cases of kidnapping and attacks, but they are minimal compared to before the coming of this administration. The instances of incessant kidnapping on the Abuja/Kaduna Road have become history.

“In the South-east, the activities of unknown gunmen terrorising the region have been on the downward side. In the North East, Boko Haram was almost completely eradicated until the recent attacks in some parts of Borno State.

“I am confident that our gallant members of the Armed Forces will act decisively to smoke them out permanently.

“The people of the remaining five states in the North East live peacefully and conduct their lawful businesses – commendation to our gallant officers and men of the Armed Forces and other sister security agencies.

“With the enhanced peace across the country, the federal government has recently launched phase one of the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone (SAPZ) to revolutionise and industrialise the agricultural sector. SAPZ aims to transform Nigeria’s agriculture landscape through innovation, private-sector investments and strategic public partnerships.

“The zones are designed to create agro-industrial hubs that integrate farmers with processors, reduce post-harvest losses and expand rural economic opportunities.

“Seven states, namely Kaduna, Kano, Kwara, Oyo, Ogun, Imo, Cross River, and Federal Capital Territory, have been selected for phase one, while Bauchi, Borno, and Gombe are listed for phase 2.”

He expressed optimism that the establishment of the North-West, North Central, South-East, South-West, and South-South development commissions will significantly contribute to developing the country’s regions.

“With President Tinubu’s establishment of the development commissions, we will witness unprecedented development at the grassroots level. Also, the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano highway reconstruction, which dragged on for eight years under the last administration, has been flagged-off and is receiving the needed attention,” he said.

Meanwhile, the attack on el-Rufai grew as former Governors Aminu Masari; Senator Tanko Al-Makura of Katsina and Nasarawa as well as 21 other foundation members of the defunct CPC Wednesday declared their support for President Tinubu.

The former CPC members in a statement issued expressed their support for Tinubu, saying recent ‘misleading narratives’ suggesting defection or discontent among CPC stakeholders were baseless.

 

A statement signed by 23 leaders of the defunct party, including former governors of Katsina and Nasarawa, Aminu Masari and Umaru Al-Makura, respectively; Adamu Adamu, former education minister; and Farouk Aliyu, former member of the House of Representatives was issued after Wednesday meeting: “We, the undersigned leaders and committed members of the former C ongress for Progressive Change (CPC), who were part of those instrumental in the historic merger that gave birth to the All Progressives Congress (APC), hereby issue this statement to clarify our unalloyed loyalty to our great party and express firm solidarity with the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR,” the statement reads:“We wish to state categorically that we have neither left the APC nor do we intend to leave.

“The CPC bloc remains one of the legacy foundations of the APC, and we are resolute in our commitment to the party and its progressive ideals.”

“We will not allow some people to dismantle the party we helped to build through years of tireless work and dedication,” the group said.

“We align ourselves fully with the economic and governance reforms being undertaken by President Bola Tinubu,” the CPC leaders said.

“Though challenging, these policies are necessary steps to rebuild our economy and secure a better future for all Nigerians.

“We urge patience and collective support as the benefits unfold; while we acknowledge that some party members may feel sidelined, we emphasise that such grievances are not exclusive to any one bloc.

“We advise those concerned to seek redress through constitutional channels within the party and not to resort to negative public agitation or hasty exits from the party.”

A former Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Farouk Aliyu, Wednesday accused ex-Governor of Kaduna state, Nasir el-Rufai of self-centeredness, especially in his recent attacks on President Bola Tinubu.

Speaking on a national television, Aliyu maintained that the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), a block within the All Progressives Congress (APC), has no intention of pulling out of the ruling party, contrary to insinuations in the public space.