Tinubu’s Ex-Power Minister Adelabu Speaks On His Video Urging Nigerians To Reject APC
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s former Power Minister, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, has given the context in which he reportedly called on Nigerians to reject his ruling party the All Progressives Congress (APC) at all levels.
The video went viral last weekend.
In a Press Statement at the weekend by his Media Office, and titled: “ADELABU NEVER ASKED NIGERIANS TO REJECT APC –VIRAL REPORT IS FALSE, MALICIOUS AND MISCHIEVOUS,” the former Minister put the video in 2022, when he was the Accord Party Oyo Governorship Candidate.
In full, the statement said:
“Our attention has been drawn to a false report circulating on social media, alleging that Chief Adebayo A. Adelabu, OFR, FCA, FCIB, the immediate past Minister of Power, called on Nigerians to reject the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“This report is entirely false, misleading and maliciously intended to discredit Chief Adelabu, undermine his loyalty to the APC and, perhaps, create unnecessary friction between him, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the leadership of the party. We therefore urge the public to disregard the fabricated narrative.
“Anyone who knows Chief Adelabu, his political antecedents and his relationship with the President would find it difficult to believe such an allegation without compelling evidence. Throughout his political journey, Adelabu has consistently demonstrated his commitment to the APC and his loyalty to President Tinubu.
“Adelabu served under the APC-led Federal Government as Minister of Power, where he pursued significant reforms aimed at repositioning the power sector. The gains of these efforts are gradually becoming evident. He subsequently left public office voluntarily to pursue his governorship ambition in Oyo State.
“Unfortunately, the APC governorship nomination process in Oyo State was marred by controversies, including the alleged imposition of a preferred aspirant without the transparent release of the primary election results. Despite his grievances, Adelabu has repeatedly declared at various fora that he has no intention of leaving the APC, that his political ambition is not a do-or-die affair, and that he remains loyal to the party and Mr President.
“His position has been consistent: loyalty does not preclude the demand for fairness, transparency and adherence to democratic principles.
“Indeed, Adelabu has challenged the logic of declaring a candidate the winner of an election without releasing the results and subsequently setting up a reconciliation committee to pacify aggrieved stakeholders. His point is straightforward: whatever standards of transparency, accountability and democratic conduct Nigerians expect from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) must equally guide the internal electoral processes of political parties.
“It is therefore mischievous to twist his demand for internal democracy into a call for Nigerians to reject the APC.
“More importantly, the relationship between Chief Adelabu and President Tinubu transcends partisan politics. It is a longstanding relationship founded on mutual respect, trust and affection, which Adelabu has openly described in father-and-son terms. That relationship remains cordial, and no amount of fabricated reports, political blackmail or deliberate misrepresentation can destroy it.
“No genuine son would deliberately work against the interests of a father and benefactor to whom he remains grateful. Adelabu has neither renounced his loyalty to the President nor called on Nigerians to reject the APC. Those peddling such claims should produce verifiable evidence of the alleged statement rather than seek to manufacture controversy through falsehood.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the video being circulated is an excerpt from an interview Adelabu granted in 2022, when he was the governorship candidate of the Accord Party in Oyo State. In that interview, he expressed the view that political parties had disappointed Nigerians and that voters should pay greater attention to the credibility and character of individual candidates.
“That position was made in the context of the 2022 political environment and was consistent with his decision at the time to support the presidential ambition of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, notwithstanding his candidacy under a different political platform. It was never a call to reject the APC or oppose Tinubu’s presidency.
“We challenge those circulating the video to publish the full interview, unedited, rather than selectively extracting statements and presenting them out of context to advance a malicious political narrative.
“It is also important to state that, since the conclusion of the controversial APC governorship nomination process in Oyo State, Chief Adelabu has not granted any media interview making the alleged statement. We are therefore concerned about the deliberate attempt to attribute words to him that he neither said nor authorised.
“We urge members of the public, APC faithful and the media to exercise caution, verify information before sharing it, and refuse to become instruments in the hands of those seeking to sow discord between Chief Adelabu, President Tinubu and the APC leadership.
“Chief Adelabu remains committed to the APC, loyal to Mr President and supportive of the party’s broader political objectives. His call for fairness and internal democracy should not be misconstrued as disloyalty, nor should legitimate grievances be exploited to manufacture a political rupture that does not exist.
“No amount of falsehood can change Adelabu’s political convictions, rewrite his record of loyalty or manufacture enmity between him and Mr President.
“The public is advised to disregard the fake report and rely only on authentic statements issued by Chief Adelabu or his authorised representatives.”
