The National Leader of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Chief Bola Tinubu, on Monday said that he did not hold any private meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan at the weekend.
Tinubu spoke at the local wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, in reaction to reports that he, alongside Oba Akiolu of Lagos and Gov. Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, met with Jonathan in Lagos at the weekend.
“To tell you categorically, I did not attend any meeting with the president, in company with the Oba of Lagos. I was not even aware that the president was coming to Lagos until later after the visit of the oba at night.
“So, there was no meeting between myself, the president and the Oba of Lagos and I am very sure that the governor did not attend any such meeting with the president,’’ he said.
On whether he would be favourably disposed to the president inviting him to a meeting to find solutions to Nigeria’s numerous problems, Tinubu responded in the affirmative.
He said that the leaders of various political parties had been meeting on national issues.
On the present security situation in Nigeria, he said it was “a critical time when all hands must be on deck’’ to help solve the problems.
“This is the time to get together to develop ideas that can help the nation as a whole.
“The matter of security should be less politicised and advice should be solicited in good faith. If ideas are solicited in good faith, one would offer them,’’ he said.
On the way out of the Boko Haram problem, Tinubu said that it was a critical issue confronting the nation.
He expressed regrets that such a tragedy confronting the country was reaching a dimension where Nigerians could not afford to ignore it or sleep with their two eyes closed.
“On this national issue of security, President Goodluck Jonathan, as the Commander-In-Chief of the Nigerian armed forces, should be the first person who probably should commence the consultation with the people and must not politicise this problem.
“Since 1999, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been ruling this country; they claim to have the wisdom and the apparatus to govern it.
“But each time they react to this question of national security, they have been blaming one political party or the other. That is passing the buck,’’ he said.
Tinubu said that there was a clear line as well as ideological differences between the ruling party and the other political parties but ``this Nigeria still belongs to all of us.”
He urged the PDP- led Federal Government to cry for help from others, noting that it would get it if it did, instead of putting blames on the other parties or categorising one party as ``one man party’’.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the ACN chieftain was on his way to Benin, to visit Gov Adams Oshiomhole, following the accident involving the latter's motorcade.
NAN reports that three journalists were killed in the accident which occurred while the governor was on an official assignment.
Tinubu was accompanied by the ACN National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, the party’s Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed and Chief Niyi Adebayo, a former Governor of Ekiti.
SOURCE: 
30 April 2012.
30 April 2012.
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