Tinubu Will Not Finish Me, Amosun Replies Detractors

Ibikunle Amosun, governor of Ogun state, on Friday said those spreading the reports that Bola Tinubu, national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), will deal with him do not know what they are saying.

There have been talks on President Muhammadu Buhari banking on Amosun and some former loyalists of Tinubu to deliver the south-west for him in 2019 in the event that he seeks reelection and does not get the backing of the former Lagos governor.

But Amosun said he was not bothered by so many reports written about him, describing the authors as “traitors and cowards”.

He maintained he still enjoys a cordial relationship with the south-west leader, whom he commended for standing by him when he needed him most.

Amosun spoke during a meeting of the state’s chapter of the APC in Abeokuta, the state capital.

“We have responsibilities to govern, please don’t be distracted by somebody said this or that,” he said.

“If you want something, there are several ways of getting it, imagine people said that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu will finish me in Lagos and I said, don’t worry they ‘don’t know what they are saying’.

“I am from Ogun state, what will happen in another place I don’t know and I don’t talk about what I do not know.

“Asiwaju that you see, not money, he didn’t give me any money, and I say it often that when I needed him, he stood by me.

“I talk to him, despite all of those things people will want to say, I think they are afraid to write something about what we are doing and what we are not doing.”

Amosun also said he does not know who will be the next governor of the state, but he knows who would not be.

He revealed that so far, seven persons had approached him on being his successor, but that none of them possessed the “right” qualities.

“I know that at the appropriate time, we will get our people together and say this is your son and daughter, we will pick and whoever we pick is going to be governor,” he said.

“The work we have done will pay significantly; it will be no campaign, our work, all of our leaders, those outside too, all of them will be there for us and we will win.

“Those that think they want to get senate or house of representatives or something, just be calm.

“The way we do our things, we sit with our elders; we say what we do here. If consensus fails, everybody should go to the primary, that is the way it is done, our fathers are here, and we know how to do our things in Ogun state.

“When the time comes we will be ready, they have said a lot of things but for me, we should not be distracted, we should continue with what we are doing.

“Our leaders are here and for me, we should not be talking about politics now, we should begin to talk about how we are going to better the lot of our people.”

Tajudeen Lemboye, vice-chairman of the party in Ogun, urged members to accord the governor 100 per cent loyalty.

He said the governor had done well.