ACN/CPC Alliance: Tinubu Is Lying, Says Bafarawa
SUNDAY, 27 FEBRUARY 2011 00:00 BY KODILINYE OBIAGWU (LAGOS) AND ERIC MEYA (SOKOTO) NEWS - NATIONAL

DISCORDANT tunes have continued in the camp of the opposition as to the failure of the trumpeted merger/alliance talks between the Action Congress of Nigeria ACN and the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).

Former governor of Sokoto State and presidential aspirant of the ACN, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, yesterday joined the fray by refusing to accept the explanation of former governor of Lagos State and the ACN leader, Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu, that agents of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had a hand in stalling the alliance talks.

Bafarawa said in Sokoto that contrary to that statement, Tinubu should be held responsible for the failure of the parley.

According to him, if there was anybody to be blamed for the failure of the alliance talks, “then that person is Tinubu,” adding, “if he (Tinubu) is blaming the PDP and its agents, then, I believe that he is the agent of the PDP.”
Tinubu had opened the Pandora box at a stakeholders’ meeting in Lagos last week, accusing the agents of the PDP of truncating the alliance talks between the ACN and the CPC.

He said that the PDP was out to ensure that the process failed because of threat it posed to its continued hold to power and the possibility of losing power to the alliance.

The claims had attracted instant and varied reactions. The CPC disagreed with Tinubu and blamed his ambition to be the running mate to the presidential candidate of the CPC, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari as the reason for the failure of the talks.

CPC chieftains dismissed the talks of spies in the process of the discussions and noted the ACN leader was not telling the truth about the alliance’s failure.

Indeed, Bafarawa yesterday re-echoed that alleged stance of Tinubu not telling the truth about the alliance’s failure.

Bafarawa said: “If there is anybody to hold responsible for the failure of the alliance talks, then that person is Tinubu.

“It is unfortunate the way and manner the former governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu is going about talking about the alliance and merger talks issue.

“Sincerely, nobody should be blamed for the failure of the talks better than Tinubu. He should not be blaming the PDP. If he is blaming the PDP and its agents, then, I believe that he is the agent of the PDP.”

Bafarawa accused Tinubu of monopolizing affairs of the ACN and excluding him from the alliance talks even as a high-ranking northern caucus of the ACN.

He said: “I happen to be a member of the caucus of the ACN but there is no day that we have been informed of who we, in the ACN, are going to have a serious merger talks with.

“I have never been invited to be part of that meeting. I always read about it in the national newspapers. So, for this failure of the alliance talks and merger, Tinubu should be responsible.

“In every meeting, we will see him either meeting with Buhari in Abuja or in Lagos talking with other people without me, who is a member of the (party) caucus from the North.

“That is what has been going on. So, I am surprised, for Tinubu to come out to give excuses on the failure of the alliance talks.”

Bafarawa recalled that the last time, Tinubu gave another excuse for the alliance’s failure, “and this time, he is giving another excuse. He is the man behind the failure of the merger because of his selfish interests.”

He wondered why Tinubu was blaming the PDP, “when the role he played was clear to every person,” asking, “what role did PDP play in the failure of the talks? But his (Tinubu’s) handwriting is all over the place.

Bafarawa continued: “Buhari told us that he (Tinubu) wanted to be his running mate but he refused because that will amount to having a Muslim/Muslim ticket and it won’t work. And Tinubu has not refuted what Buhari said.
“His selfish interest brought about the failure of the merger talks. He killed the alliance talks; he should not blame anybody, as far as I am concerned.”

However, the former Sokoto governor dismissed any talks of disagreement with Tinubu, whom, he said, was unfortunately trying to turn himself into a kingmaker.

“There are no disagreements or hard feelings between me and Tinubu,” he said. “We are still members of the ACN, but I don’t want records to be misquoted; I want records to be corrected.”

“As a member of the ACN, I don’t want people to take what Tinubu is saying as the truth without me correcting them. I did not join the ACN to be a ‘yes man’ to anybody. I want things to be properly stated and corrected.
“Whatever the records are, let them be seen to be true. I will never be a party where I have not seen the truth and for me to keep quiet. It is not how I was brought up politically. Let the truth be told.”

Bafarawa’s reaction is certain to add to the inquisition on the failure of the ACN/CPC alliance talks.
Had it succeeded, the alliance would have been the first major coalition after the opposition parties failed in the talks to form a mega party, to face the PDP in the April polls.