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The Senator representing Ondo South, Jimoh Ibrahim, on Sunday said President Bola Tinubu is not losing sleep over the recent criticism of his administration by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, erstwhile Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, and the immediate past Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi.
Amaechi had charged Nigerians to be prepared to defend their mandate in the forthcoming 2027 election, warning that politicians, including the current president, will not cede power easily.
El-Rufai claimed he no longer reckoned with his party, the ruling All Progressives Congress, saying it has become a ‘zero-man show.”
The former governor also urged opposition parties to unite and form a broad coalition to challenge the ruling party and protect democracy.
On the other hand, Atiku accused the Presidency of inducing opposition parties with N50m bribe to weaken their structure ahead of the 2027 election, an allegation that majority political platforms had denied.
Reacting when he was featured as a guest on Sunday’s edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today, Ibrahim said the President is not worried about the distraction.
He said, “Is El-Rufai saying that Tinubu doesn’t have legitimacy now and in 2027? If the answer is no, what are you worrying yourself about? If Atiku says people give bribes, he needs to provide evidence. We deal with empirical evidence to do reaction. We don’t react by narratives.
“The key point is that the opposition will say whatever they want to say. But that does not take away the legitimacy of governance. I don’t think Tinubu is bothered by all the comments and sentiments that have been expressed. El-rufai was in the National Assembly to be cleared as a minister and answered questions.
“At the end of the day, he didn’t get the ministerial appointment, probably because of some challenges or whatever happened. Another time, he claimed he had never applied to be a minister. If you don’t apply to be minister, who forced you to come to the National Assembly? It’s not about whether he was treated fairly or not. It’s about the issue of security.”
The ex-Ondo governorship aspirant wondered why those criticising the current administration comprised only aggrieved party chieftains and candidates who lost in the 2023 election.
The senator also noted that the ruling party is not afraid of those who threaten to leave the APC, stressing that for every member who defects, three others have crossed over from the opposition camps.
“Look, when I contested the governorship election in Ondo State and didn’t get the ticket, did I gather a storm and destroy the government? Look, Bola Tinubu is one person in the government. There are other issues and other variables that he will have to listen to.
“This argument is one-sided. What about those from the PDP who have joined us? You are not looking at that. How many people like that have been with us? How many governors have crossed to APC, and how many of them are still planning to come? How many senators have left there,” he stated,
When asked if more governors were coming, Ibrahim nodded.
He said, “Of course. A sitting governor is planning to come to the APC. I don’t want to mention names so that I don’t embarrass people. But I can tell you that when I came again, it would have happened.
“When I came here the last time, I told you Donald Trump would win the US election. You shouted at me.”
