A former Special Assistant to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, Lauretta Onochie, has dismissed the long-held belief that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu played a decisive role in Buhari’s emergence as the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate in 2014.
Naijaonpoint reports that Onochie, in a post shared on her personal 𝕏 (formerly Twitter) account on Thursday, insisted that Tinubu did not make Buhari president, declaring that “every lie has an expiry date.”
Her statement followed remarks by former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, who also challenged the narrative during the launch of a book by Garba Shehu, former presidential spokesman, titled “According to The President: Lessons From A Presidential Spokesman Experience.”
Speaking at the event, Mustapha stated that contrary to popular opinion, the votes that secured APC’s 2015 victory came primarily from Buhari’s popularity and his loyal base from the days of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).
He said, “The CPC had only one state then, but the important votes that gave us victory came from the CPC. We knew what we did to produce Buhari’s presidency.”
He noted that Buhari’s mass appeal in northern Nigeria and among the grassroots was instrumental in unseating the then-ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Weighing in on Mustapha’s assertion, Onochie hailed him for what she described as exposing the truth behind Buhari’s emergence.
She shared the front page of the Nigerian Tribune newspaper bearing the headline: “Buhari’s popularity won 12.5 million votes for APC in 2014,” and wrote, “Every Lie Has An Expiry Date.
“Yesterday, The Lie That @officialABAT Made @MBuhari President, expired
“Thank you, Boss Mustapha, for puncturing the lies of those unsuccessfully trying to rewrite history
“Me: Tinubu DID NOT even support Buhari’s emergence as Candidate in 2014. Fact.”